The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character-Chapter 80: Librarian Ernest (1). Top Student of the Aldridge Institute

Eris didn’t really remember her parents’ faces.

She was an orphan, after all.

But that fact didn’t particularly sadden her.

Even if she had no parents, she was blessed with a great teacher—one who more than made up for it.

A living treasure of Ravellocia.

One of the continent’s few mages of the 6th tier.

Many revered and praised her teacher, and whenever they did, Eris would beam with pride—as if the compliments were meant for her.

Her teacher, a great archmage, had many students. But even among them, Eris stood out in talent.

People would say of her:

A genius. The personal disciple handpicked by the great archmage.

Her teacher, too, would often smile and say:

“Well done. Keep working hard like this.”

Compared to all the noisy compliments from others, it was those simple words of praise that made Eris happiest.

No matter how grueling the mana training or how complex the knowledge she had to absorb, a single warm phrase from her teacher made it all worth it.

And then, one day, something changed.

A royal envoy visited her teacher with a proposition.

They wanted to invite the archmage to serve as a visiting instructor—to teach a single student.

Eris and the other disciples found this absurd.

Their teacher was one of the greatest mages in the world. Aspiring students traveled from across the continent, offering lavish gifts just for a chance to study under her.

And yet this envoy had the audacity to say: “If your teacher is interested in teaching, she should come to us.”

But what shocked the disciples even more—was that their teacher accepted.

Concerned, they voiced their worries.

The invitation came from the Eizern Empire—a behemoth compared to Ravellocia.

They feared that their master had been pressured into going.

But their teacher only smiled and reassured them:

“I’m just going to visit an old friend in the empire. He mentioned a crown prince who’s both thrilled and burdened by teaching—said something odd about it being both joyful and painful. I’m curious.”

The empire offered to house the teacher and her disciples in a prepared estate, but she declined.

She said there was no need to bring everyone along for a short trip.

With a light step, she boarded the imperial carriage.

And the disciples waited.

She returned three months later—far sooner than anyone expected.

Whispers spread among the students.

It’s too early. No one could learn proper magic in that short a time.

Maybe the prince didn’t actually care about studying. Maybe he just wanted the prestige of being taught by her.

She said she was visiting a friend. Maybe the “teaching” part was just a formality.

Despite the speculation, their teacher said nothing about what had happened in the empire.

Eris, however, grew worried.

Her teacher had changed. Her expression was darker. She stared off into space more often, sighing to herself.

Perhaps the royal court had noticed too.

One day, a high-ranking official—an old friend of her teacher and right hand of the wise king—visited, bringing expensive wine.

Eris, by chance, overheard their conversation.

And finally, she understood.

“That much? Are you saying the crown prince of the empire was so gifted that even you regret leaving him?”

“‘Gifted’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

Drunk—more drunk than Eris had ever seen her—her teacher lamented.

“He’s not just a genius. He’s the kind of genius who could raise the entire field of magic to a higher plane. I understand now why he sounded so weary. Someone like him should be dedicating his entire being to magic, and yet he wastes time on swordsmanship, politics, and royal duties. It’s a tragedy.”

He was the crown prince. It was impossible for him to ignore all responsibilities and focus solely on magic.

And that, her teacher said, was the greatest tragedy of all.

The official tried to comfort her.

“Now, now. Don’t be so upset. You already have wonderful students. What was her name again? Ah—Eris. You’ve praised her many times before.”

At the sound of her own name, Eris held her breath.

The thought that her teacher had praised her behind her back made her heart flutter.

“Haaah... No. She’s not enough.”

And just like that, all of that joy came crashing down.

Her teacher—usually so thoughtful, so kind—would never say something like that so carelessly.

She wouldn’t have missed Eris hiding nearby.

But she’d been dulled—by sorrow, by drink.

“Yes, Eris is talented. She’s diligent and bright. Among all my disciples, she has the most promise.”

But that was all.

“Among ordinary students, she stands out. But she’ll never reach the realm of true geniuses. That’s what Eris is.”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh for your personal disciple? You said she’s like a granddaughter to you.”

“Loving someone and overestimating them are different things.”

“I just hope you don’t say that to her face.”

“I wouldn’t, even if you told me to.”

Their conversation continued, but Eris didn’t hear the rest.

She was too focused on holding back tears and escaping without being noticed. freewёbnoνel.com

And that was the end of it.

Maybe venting his frustration helped. Her teacher seemed lighter after that night. The gloom was gone from her face, and the other students were relieved.

“Well done, Eris. You’re truly my disciple.”

She remained gentle.

On the surface, nothing changed.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

She never acted disappointed or discouraged with Eris or any of her disciples.

But now that Eris knew the truth, she could no longer smile at the praise the way she ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) used to.

The regret in her teacher’s voice when she spoke of the crown prince...

The label of “prodigy” her teacher had used that night...

Those words burned in her heart.

Burned with a slow, sticky heat—

The fire of jealousy.

***

The Wise King of Ravellocia had achieved many great things in his reign, but the most frequently praised among them was his sweeping educational reform.

Just a few decades ago, all education in Ravellocia had been privately managed.

Nobles and the wealthy might hire private tutors for their children, but there were no dedicated institutions purely for the purpose of learning.

The Wise King, inspired by stronger nations, founded public educational institutes where children of appropriate age could learn a wide variety of knowledge and skills. He strongly encouraged both nobles and commoners alike to take advantage of them.

These institutions, called training academies, were designed to foster outstanding talent—an investment that would benefit the kingdom itself in the long run.

A government-backed school system funded directly from the royal treasury.

Naturally, the expectation was that students attending such institutions would be fiercely dedicated to their studies...

“...Yeah, right.”

Eris scoffed inwardly.

No matter how much the king hoped for it, no matter how much nobles hoped to earn his favor by participating, the actual students were still young people in the prime of wanting to slack off and have fun.

Especially the noble students, who had lived ascetic, tightly controlled lives since childhood—drilled nonstop so they wouldn’t fall behind their peers. Now, for the first time, they had some freedom, surrounded by others their own age.

Anyone expecting them to study diligently in that situation was simply delusional.

On the flip side, the commoner students burned with ambition, determined to succeed despite the discrimination and arrogance of their noble classmates. “Just to spite them, I’ll make it to the top.”

But many of these high-performing students gradually accumulated resentment and hatred toward the nobility—and that, too, was a politically dangerous outcome.

Still, Eris had no interest in any of that.

Whether the flowery dream of the academy collapsed or bloomed—it didn’t concern her.

What mattered was this:

Only the highest-scoring students at the academy could earn entrance into the Skyborne Academy.

A place so prestigious that its influence exceeded that of most nations. The top learning institution in the central continent.

A school where the elite few—true geniuses—competed and fought relentlessly to prove their worth.

To Eris, that was the real battlefield.

“Miss Eris! I heard the news—you got perfect scores in every subject again on the last exam! You’re incredible!”

One of her classmates beamed at her with genuine admiration.

Eris smiled back, but inside, she thought:

‘Really? And you got below average in every subject except one. How does it feel to scatter your tuition into the wind?’

Unfortunately, the “outstanding student” criteria for Skyborne Academy included more than just grades. It also required strong interpersonal skills.

Even if Eris’s academic record was unrivaled, a reputation for being antisocial could cost her the chance to advance.

So she had no choice but to force out polite nonsense.

“It was just good luck, that’s all. I noticed your defensive spells had improved a lot recently, Miss Pyrene.”

“All thanks to the advice you gave me! My father nags me so much, I was dreading his lectures, but I think I’ll escape them this time!”

Eris raised an eyebrow inwardly. A single improvement in defense magic and the father backs off? That’s one generous parent.

Then again, most noble students didn’t take things like magic or swordsmanship seriously.

They believed their job was to hire and command those with talent, not to wield such power themselves.

Even Eris, without the title of “Disciple of Archmage Delphinaris Weinhardt”, probably wouldn’t be speaking on equal terms with the girl in front of her.

“Half a year until final exams. If only time would move faster.”

For Eris, who had studied under one of the greatest archmages on the continent, the academy’s curriculum was little more than repetition.

Subjects like math, history, and general education were mildly new, but even those she had long since completed through rigorous self-study.

She endured it all, seeing this as a checkpoint before her true destination—the Skyborne Academy.

But honestly, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was just wasting time.

“Oh, by the way, Miss Eris. Do you know that dark building east of Aldridge?”

“You mean the ‘Locked Coffin’?”

“Yes! That one! I heard the Brown Trading Company recently bought the building and the surrounding land—and as of yesterday, it’s open to the public! Apparently, it’s a library!”

“Hmm.”

Eris’s eyes lit up just slightly.

To her—driven by ambition and a deep hunger for knowledge—books were a vital means to an end.

She’d already read everything the academy’s library had to offer.

Now, with a new source of reading material available... naturally, her interest was piqued.

‘...I should check it out.’