That question, however, was never answered. Since Mrs. Clara was talking about the advancement to a Knight and a Knight only, the boy had a feeling that she wasn’t even going to bother answering that question. And in the first place, if she had any intention of talking about it, she probably would have mentioned it earlier.

“…affirmation of one’s vows, or the ideals behind them,” continued the teacher. “However, the exact process in which one solidifies their strength as a Knight depends on their own cultivation mantra.”

Gaius thought back to his General Formula, and then with a wry smile, shook his head. He had gone so far off the beaten path that the only thing that mediating on the formula did was to help him gather qi, but since he had so many alternative sources of power in his body…

“But you don’t even use them, though,” Nexus’ voice sounded in his head.

The boy jumped. You were listening?!

“Hard not to, when your mental voice began to intrude,” the sculpture replied irritably. “You should really try to drive the other energies in your body around. Ether and divinity have been sitting around there like ditched wives, and if they were sentient, they would have been scolding you long ago.”

“That’s an awful picture to paint,” Gaius replied. “Anyway, get out of my head. Gotta pay attention to what she says.”

“Or I could do it, but whatever.” Nexus faded away from his mind, leaving behind a small tenuous link Gaius could call upon. It was subtle, but now that Gaius was focused on his mind, he could feel Nexus’ presence recede. It was a subtle touch, but he could sense the artificial intelligence’s absence now.

“…danger lies in going against your vows.” Mrs. Clara was still going on. “Those that do that run the risk of going mad and losing their reason. As a Knight, whatever you do must be aligned with your chosen vows. You will know if you are acting in ways that go against them.”

The class was paying attention silently, especially Isabelle and the countess. Mrs. Clara paused for a moment, looked around the classroom, and then continued a hint of satisfaction in her voice.

“Hmm?” She paused, halfway through her explanation about vows. “Nakama, go ahead.”

Gaius, who had been staring at the teacher, turned to look at his sister in surprise.

“Why are Knights called Knights?” Nakama asked. Gaius couldn’t see her face, but he could imagine her clear eyes looking at Mrs. Clara. The boy narrowed his eyes somewhat. That question was quite random, all things considered, and yet, Nakama had brought it up.

As expected, Mrs. Clara was stumped for a moment or so. Her eyes brightened up immediately afterwards, and she said, “It’s a reference to the kinds of vows people of the Five Lands used. You must have come across some old books, since you asked that question, but long ago, we didn’t actually have a unified naming scheme for our cultivation realms.”

“Knights, Lords and Paragons. These names were chosen to influence people into making vows that obliged them to protect, defend and uphold justice,” said Mrs. Clara. “Vows need not be moral. Someone absolutely twisted could make ones that oblige him or her to kill, to rob, to oppress and to trample. And they would do so with greater power.”

“Naming these realms with positive connotations serve to discourage these things,” Mrs. Clara concluded. “And this, above all, is why the Five Lands continue to survive without incidents of mass murder. Paragons, who are capable of laying waste to entire cities in a moment, are restrained not just by other Paragons, but by their own vows too.”

Nakama blinked twice, and then nodded, her little head bobbing up and down.

“I see you understand,” said Mrs. Clara. “Truly a prodigy, hohoho.”

Gaius recounted her words mentally. He indeed had a few questions about this world, after all, and what had been a small, unworthy detail had granted him an answer to a question that had plagued him for some time — how was Orb still this prosperous in a world where might makes right?

But he now had the answer. Satisfied, he leaned back on his chair and idly listened as Mrs. Clara continued her lecture. There was only another thirty minutes before their next lesson would start. The teacher wouldn’t change, but the venue would, and that made all the difference.

This was the first and only lesson about Knights she was going to have, so Gaius knew that he should have paid more attention to it, but there was something inside him that made him less inclined to do so. Most likely, it was the knowledge that this probably wasn’t going to apply to him much, and it was with gritted teeth that the boy overcame his impulses to rest.

He continued to write down what she said, taking notes like everyone else. Even if he couldn’t use it, getting this knowledge into his head could be useful. And more importantly, he wouldn’t stand out in this classroom, since everyone else were busily writing things down too.

That didn’t stop him from yawning a few times, drawing him scandalised stares from the people to his right.

I’m actually giving it my all to stay awake, though, so what’s your problem? Even Mrs. Clara is looking at me approvingly! He suppressed the annoyance welling up in his heart and continued with his writing, his pen flashing across the pages and recording down the teacher’s words.

Eventually, the bell rang. Unlike the other classes, however, Class 1-S wasn’t really affected by the bell, since they only had one teacher for the whole year.

“Students, take a thirty-minute break, and then we’ll go to the artificing room for our next lecture,” said Mrs. Clara. “There’s a cafeteria upstairs, or if you don’t mind, there’s a slightly cheaper canteen on to the bottom floor. And anyone with questions can ask me right now. Alright, be on your way.”