Chapter 112 First Study Session I
After Sara finished breakfast, the arrival of the guests was announced. Today, she was scheduled to study with Scott and Blaze, along with their tutor.
As she went to the entrance hall to greet Rebecca, she was surprised to see Sir Jeffrey with them as well.
"Good morning. I didn't expect Sir Jeffrey to be with you."
"I came on a separate matter. His Excellency the Marquis will be returning to the castle by noon, so I have a report to submit."
"I see, I understand."
Sara called for the butler, Joseph, to show Jeffrey to his seat.
Standing beside Scott and Blaze was a tall, thin man with a gaunt face. Judging from his attire, he was likely their tutor. His hair was a dull gold color, and his bangs were long, making it hard to see his face, which made it difficult to guess his age.
"Is this your tutor? Nice to meet you, I'm Sara Grandchester."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Thomas Tyler."
"Should I call you Sir Tyler?"
"No, my grandfather is Viscount Tyler, but I'm just a knight's son. Please call me Thomas."
'What's with this guy...he's got a weird aura about him.'
Thomas bowed his head politely. It seemed he wanted to emphasize that he was from a noble family, but he was a commoner. However, both his students, Sara and Scott, were commoners as well, so there was no need for him to be humble.
Still, Sara decided not to make a big deal about it and let the matter slide.
"Then, Mister Thomas, I look forward to working with you."
"Yes, I do too."
"Mr. Thomas, I'm Ms. Sara's governess, Rebecca Orson."
"I've heard you're the Viscount Orson's daughter."
"Yes, but let's just call each other 'Mister' and 'Miss' here, shall we?"
"Understood. Then, I'll call you Miss Rebecca."
With Rebecca leading the way, the 5 of them arrived at the study room that Sara and Rebecca always used. This room was close to the dance hall and music room.
"First, let's check on the 3 of them's study progress."
Rebecca proposed, handing out a document that summarized Sara's current study situation and the textbooks they used. It seemed she had stayed up late last night to prepare this document.
Thomas received the document from Rebecca and was taken aback.
"Miss Rebecca, is this really Ms. Sara's study content?"
"Yes. There's no mistake. She's already finished the basics of reading and writing, as well as math, so now she's focusing on history and literature. Her basic conversation skills are no problem, but as a noble, her education might be a bit strict. However, considering her age, I think her level is more than sufficient, so it's just a matter of polishing it through practice."
Rebecca reported calmly.
"This is surprising. You're so talented. Actually, Scott is good at math, but struggles a bit with literature. Blaze is taking his first lessons, so he'll start with the basics of reading and writing, and basic math. Scott has some textbooks to spare."
"There are plenty of books in this mansion that we can use for textbooks, so we might be able to find some literature textbooks for Mr. Scott in the library. I've already gotten permission from Sir Robert."
"That would be a great help. It's true that being exposed to various books broadens one's horizons."
The 3 kids realized that their 2 teachers were unexpectedly passionate educators. Sara was excited because she loved studying, but the two boys were nervous.
After that exchange, the actual study time began. Blaze learned basic reading and writing from Thomas, while Sara and Scott studied classical literature with Rebecca.
"Scott, you're doing it wrong. The way you write modern text is different from classical literature."
"Ah, that's true. Sara, you're so small, but you're more knowledgeable about classical literature than I am."
'It's clear that Scott is bad at literature.'
After studying literature for about an hour, they took a break.
"Miss Rebecca, Blaze did exceptionally well. He learned all the characters in just one hour and can even write simple essays. From now on, it's just a matter of memorizing vocabulary, but his learning ability is amazing."
"Maybe we should start with picture books and gradually move on to essays. It might be a good idea to visit the library on the way home."
Rebecca gazed at Scott, smiling faintly.
"Mr. Scott, you still needs to work on classical literature. I'll give you homework, so please finish it by next time."
Sara knew that Rebecca's homework was no joke. And if she tried to slack off, Rebecca would keep giving her the same homework until she satisfied her. Meanwhile, Rebecca would maintain her absolute 0-degree smile.
"Mister Thomas, do we need classical literature to get into the Academy?"
Scott asked.
"Well, classical literature is included in the literature exam range, but it's not a major part of it. The entrance exam level isn't that high, you know."
"Is that so? Then it seems like I can get in even with my current abilities!"
"Yes, I think you can get in."
"Yes I did it!"
"But, while the entrance exam is easy, getting a graduation qualification is tough. The Academy uses a credit system, and there are required subjects set for each grade level. If you don't pass all the required subjects in the year-end promotion exam, you can't advance to the next grade, and you'll be held back without exception. Classical literature is part of the exam range from the first year, so if you don't pass, you can't advance to the second year. By the way, you can only repeat the same grade for up to 2 years, so if you don't pass next year, you'll be expelled."
"That's harsh, isn't it?"
"That's true. But I think it's a bigger problem when people who lack ability get hired just because they have an Academy graduation title."
Scott's face fell at Thomas's calm explanation.
"Is Scott aiming to be a knight?"
"That's the plan."
"If so, you won't be able to advance to the next grade without excellent grades in the two-year foundation course, right?"
"Muu... To become a knight, why do I need to study so hard? If I can wield a sword, that's enough, right?"
"Becoming a knight without education is pointless. If that's the case, it's better to drop out of the Academy."
"Why do you think that? I think I did pretty well against you in swordsmanship, and I'm strong too, Sara. I'll get even stronger as I grow up."
"You know, a knight without brains is a tragedy for the soldiers under them. If you're just going to rely on brute strength, it's better to become a mercenary. Of course, sword skills are important, but what's even more crucial is understanding overall strategy and tactics. It's pitiful to see soldiers being driven by reckless bravery and charging in blindly."
"You mean the art of war, right? I'll see. But how much do you need math, history, literature, and economics? Isn't classical literature meaningless?"
Scott looked completely unimpressed.
'Well, he's only 13, what can he do?'
"Hey Scott, listen up! In some countries, people still study ancient books on war strategy that were written hundreds of years ago because they think they're still valuable today. Of course, there are modern translations, but many people believe that to really understand the ideas, you should read them in the original ancient language.
In the Sarasa era, over 2,000 years ago, a famous book called 'The Art of War' was written by Sun Tzu. It's considered a classic that even modern business people should read at least once.
"According to the book, a general who wins all their battles isn't as valuable as one who can win without fighting. To do that, you need to analyze your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as your opponent's, in an objective way. And to do that analysis, you need to gather information, which is a crucial part of the strategy."
Scott looked stunned, but Blaze chimed in from the side.
"In other words, it's better to make your opponent think they can't win than to fight and win every time, right? And to make them think that, you need to understand the difference between you and your opponent, and if you're going to lose, don't fight, right?"
"That's right. Blaze understands the essence of it."
"I used to be in a mercenary group, so I thought our leader was an idiot for taking on that request. I even hid from the client so they wouldn't notice me."
"But, knights should fight for their country's honor!"
"If you're just a low-ranking soldier, it's ideal to think that way. A soldier who disobeys their superior's orders is scary. But becoming a knight means becoming a commander, so shouldn't you know the essence of it? Of course, you might still fight for honor."
Scott tilted his head and asked Sara.
"I get that learning ancient languages is important. I understand that history is important too, in the sense that we can learn from the past. So, what about math and economics?"
"That's because war costs a lot of money, you see."
"A lot of money...?"
"Of course! You need to pay the soldiers, secure food, weapons, and tents for camping, and medical teams and medicine to treat the wounded. And the knights need horses, which means you need to provide fodder too. It's not like it's free, so the country has to use taxes to buy all that. Starting a war without securing war funds is just foolish."
"I see. There are times when you need to requisition food during war. And horses and fodder too, right?"
"Yeah. So, what about the civilians who make a living by selling those things? What are they supposed to do according to your thoughts?"
"If it's a war, there's no point in putting up with it."
"Can you say that to the people of Grandchester? If there's a war, farmers might get drafted too. But if the working hands are lost, the women and children alone can't harvest enough. Of course, abandoned fields will increase, and the country will fall into ruin."
Scott looked like he finally understood, his face lighting up.
"So, winning without fighting is more valuable, right?"
"Yes, that's right. But, sometimes unavoidable conflicts can occur. By the way, according to that military strategy book from earlier, prolonging a war is no good. It's better to win quickly with a surprise attack. So, gathering information beforehand and making thorough preparations are necessary."
Blaze joined the conversation.
"So, to win quickly, you gather information to find the opponent's weak points?"
"That's right."
"So, to prepare sufficient military power and resources, we need money. And to think about how much money is needed and how to secure it, that's math and economics, right?"
"That's right."
Sara couldn't help but pat Blaze's head.
"Hey, Sara, I'm older than you, and you're patting my head..."
Blaze's face turned bright red with embarrassment.
"Sorry. You're just too cute."
"Don't say I'm cute, I'm a guy!"
Blaze's face turned even redder.
Since Blaze was getting too flustered, Sara decided to change the subject.
"Have you heard about the riot that's happening now, and how the enemy is trying to burn Grandchester's wheat fields?"
"Yeah, I heard it from my father."
"This is also a strategy. By causing economic damage and creating chaos in the country, they're also trying to make it difficult for us to secure food for our counterattack."
"Ah, I see! So that's what it's all about, Sara."
Sara almost reached out to pat Scott's head too, but stopped herself. It wouldn't be good for an 8-year-old to pat the head of a teenager going through puberty.
"By the way, math and physics are useful in war too."
"What do you mean?"
"For example, Scott, you're good at archery, right?"
"I'm pretty good. I'm good at hunting too."
"When you shoot an arrow at a target far away, you don't aim directly at it, right?"
"That's right. The arrow drops a bit, so you aim a little higher."
"When shooting at an enemy from a distance in battle, you can use physics to calculate the best angle to shoot at, taking into account the distance between you and the enemy."
"Whoa, really?!"
"Of course, there are many factors to consider. So, do you understand why knights need to study too?"
"Yeah, I get it. If it's for my goal, I can't avoid doing things I'm not good at."
Thomas, who was listening to the children's conversation from the side, felt really good about not interrupting them.
"Miss Rebecca, could you tell me more about the education Ms. Sara has received? Could you teach me more about it?"
"Mister Thomas... I'm afraid I've only taught the basics in a short period of time. It's not even 2 months since I came here. Ms. Sara is... I don't like to say this, but she's a genius. I think it's likely that a sensational paper with groundbreaking content will be published from Grandchester Academy soon, but that's just a compilation of what Ms. Sara has guided us on."
"Why is she only 8 years old? I wish she were at least 10 years older."
"Why is that?"
"Because I want her as my wife."
Rebecca's eyes widened as she turned to Thomas. Thomas, with an excited look, brushed his bangs up and gazed at Sara with sparkling eyes. Thomas looked younger than Rebecca had expected, probably in his early twenties, and had an astonishingly handsome face.
'Huhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!'
Rebecca was screaming in her heart.
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