Extra 4. Back to school (2)
"Frederick! Get along well with your classmates at school! And listen to your teachers!"
"Got it! Mom! Go back and have some rest!"
Twelve-year-old Frederick dragged his suitcase onto the train to the capital.
He was going to the capital's top college, the Ecole Militaire de Nantes, which originally had a "Royal" in its name but has now removed it.
A child from a commoner family like him was able to enter this academy with a very low acceptance rate thanks to two things: the recommendation and funding of his noble master, and his own extraordinary magical talent.
He ranked first in the entrance exam for this academy that most children from aristocratic families had fought hard to get into. He also ranked first in both the written and practical exams.
He was supposed to be the chief admissions officer for this class and give a speech on behalf of all the freshmen at the opening ceremony.
However, after he had prepared his speech for several days, he was informed the day before he was leaving for school that someone was exempt from the entrance examination and would take his place, standing in front of all the freshmen and giving a speech.
When he saw the man's name, he understood everything, and then he crumpled up the letter and his prepared speech and threw them all into the trash can.
Because he was a special scholarship student, his tuition and room and board fees for several semesters were waived, but his teacher helped pay for the train ticket to the capital.
He came to the Nantes Military and Political College. He did not have much emotion about being admitted to this college. According to his ability and talent, he should study here.
He looked at the students and parents who were jumping for joy at the door. He dragged his luggage alone, handled the admission procedures, found his dormitory, and began to pack his luggage.
The dormitory was for two people and was spacious, larger than all the space in their home combined. When he put his luggage away, he saw that the room across from him had been tidied up.
He sneered, thinking that the child of some noble family must have asked the servants to take care of everything.
He didn't care too much, but quickly packed his luggage and bed, and came to the auditorium with the entrance ceremony.
After several renovations and expansions, this academy, which originally had an ancient history, became even more splendid. The auditorium alone was larger than the living room of his master's mansion. The electric chandeliers hung brightly above his head. It was clearly daytime, but it was brighter inside than outside.
Frederick came to the front row in order.
The auditorium gradually filled up.
Frederick had nothing to do except listen to the annoying noise around him.
In fact, he should be standing backstage preparing to speak.
"I heard those two guys will be here today!!!"
"What? You heard it too!"
"Nonsense! The little prince is about to start school, how could they not show up?"
"Aaaaaaaah!!! Then I'm not going to meet them! Living heroes!"
"I enrolled in this school just for that great wizard. I heard that he also studied in this school when he was young!"
"I'm doing this for the former king! He was the strongest knight who led all of humanity to victory!"
"Goddess, if I saw those two in person, would I faint on the spot?"
"Didn't you see so many seniors and staff outside, all of them came to see those two people?"
“It really took all my luck to get into this school!”
"I will pray to the goddess every day before eating! I hope they can really come!"
"I envy the little prince so much for being adopted by those two."
"Isn't it said that he has a special ability, and it is thanks to him that we can completely drive out the demons?"
"But isn't he also a demon?"
"What demon tribe? They are human children, mixed-blood children."
"I have only heard of him, the dragon-like child, who has been treasured in the palace."
"Then if someone asked him where he used to live, wouldn't he answer that he lived in the palace? Hahahaha."
“Tsk.”
Frederick put his fists on his knees, tutted inaudibly, and turned his head away.
The noisy chattering of children behind him fell silent for a moment.
After all, they are all future knights and wizards.
But they didn't care too much and continued chatting enthusiastically.
Frederick took a deep breath, used his cold eyes to block the freshman who wanted to come over to chat with him, and sat in his seat with his back straight.
This situation continued until the preparatory process for the opening ceremony was completed, and it reached its climax with the appearance of those three people.
The auditorium was like a drop of water dropped into boiling oil, boiling with anger.
Many people couldn't help but stand up.
Only by being firmly suppressed by the teachers can basic order be maintained.
Frederick kept his butt stuck to his seat without moving. He looked around with his clear eyes and found that he was the only one in the auditorium who was indifferent to those three people.
No, it should be said that there is deep-seated anger and disgust.
While the little prince was speaking, he quietly used his magic to detect it.
The demon who temporarily took his place was an ordinary child without any magic power.
Apart from the pair of dragon horns on his head and the golden dragon tail behind him, it seems that only his face is particularly outstanding.
That is an existence that is completely opposite to myself.
He was totally unaware, and veins bulged from the fist on his knee.
Frederick stared at him for a long time, and when he finally looked away, his eyes met the former king's.
There was no smile on his face.
Frederick was startled and quickly lowered his head.
The arduous opening ceremony lasted for an unknown amount of time. When the principal announced the start of school and allowed everyone to leave, Frederick was the first to walk out of the auditorium, going against the excited crowd.
He rushed to a remote corner near the dormitory and broke a tree with one kick.
He looked at it for a while, then used growth magic to reconnect the trunk and kicked it again to break it.
This process was repeated many times, and except for the fallen leaves on the ground, the tree remained intact.
He looked at the increasing number of people around him and could only sit depressedly on a chair near the pool.
"Why? Why? It's so disgusting!"
Frederick couldn't help muttering, and he picked up a handful of weeds at his feet and began to weave a crown of grass.
After a while, a voice came from beside him.
"I see other kids are so happy, why are you sulking here?"
Frederick, thinking there was no one around, started and looked over.
Brown curly hair spilled out from his hat, and a beard of the same color spread all the way to his temples. In broad daylight, an old man wearing black sunglasses, suspenders, and a cane sat beside him and chuckled, "I'm waiting for someone here, and I heard what you were saying? It should have been a good day, is there something wrong? Tell me if you can."
Under normal circumstances, Frederick would definitely ignore this suspicious stranger, but this is a college, and there are identity checks before entering, so it is unlikely that dangerous people would be allowed in.
Plus, he really has been holding it in for a long time.
Frederick held the straw crown in his palm and said softly, "I was supposed to stand on that platform and speak, but because I am not the prince, I was kicked off."
The uncle was silent for a while and didn't say anything.
Frederick said, "Uncle, do you know? I got first place in the written test, the knight's practical test, and the wizard's magic test. I got more than 20 points more than the second place. I got close to full marks in every subject. Even though I am a commoner with no status, I still entered this school with the best grades."
The uncle laughed and said sincerely, "That's amazing."
Frederick tore off the extra leaves. "But he, Edinly Cune, is a man without any magic power, just because he is the prince, the son of the previous king, the adopted son. Shouldn't I be angry for being treated like this?"
The uncle did not answer this question.
Frederick knew this was a normal reaction.
How can ordinary people dare to talk about the right and wrong of these people in public?
Frederick thought about his past.
He was born in the late stage of the war when the demons invaded the Western Continent. When he was born, his father died on the battlefield.
His father did not die honorably in battle.
He was just an insignificant messenger who died of overwork from running around everywhere. He died quietly in the barracks. There was no time to rescue him and he was buried on the spot.
The day he was born was the day his father died, and it was also the day the little prince was picked up by the great wizard. This is his current official birthday.
It seemed as if fate had played a joke on him that was not fun at all.
Their family originally lived in the Eastern Territory, but because of the demonic disaster, his pregnant mother fled to the West. Not long after he was born in the refugee settlement, he received the news of his father's death.
Not long after that, the demons were driven out.
The mother was unable to return to their hometown. All her relatives and friends died in the disaster. Her brother also died on the battlefield. She was left with only her children.
She settled down in the West, looked for work everywhere, and finally became a maid in a noble family, and was finally able to survive.
She was a simple woman. Despite the pain she had suffered in life, she managed to survive and raised a child. She was grateful for everything, especially for His Majesty the King, who had brought peace and prosperity to the country.
But her child, Frederick, hated both heroes from the bottom of his heart.
His mother would celebrate his birthday, but she would also celebrate his father's death anniversary.
The moment he discovered this, he began to hate his birthday.
Just like other children, he grew up listening to the stories of these two people since he was old enough to understand.
But when other children played and praised heroes, he asked: "Why didn't they save my father?"
Then those kids stopped being friends with him.
Frederick was not sad about this, nor did he need such a friend.
He discovered that he had magical powers when he was nine years old. He learned to use simple magic without any teacher.
買了新的魔咒全書之後，他又自學了一段時間。
但是他所在的小村落，并沒有學習的條件，也沒人來教他。
直到他認識了他的師父。
一般來說，怕沖撞了貴族，他母親不會讓他到她侍奉的貴族府邸去，但工作了一段時間。她說那位貴族是個和善的老爺，于是，也讓他來府邸裏幫忙，大概是想為他以後謀個管家的工作。
子爵府邸的工作在當時是個相當高薪的工作了。
他也沒覺得不妥。
但是一次偶然，他看見子爵大人使用魔法的模樣，他也忍不住模仿着嘗試了一下，魔法成功了，但被子爵大人發現了。
可是子爵大人并沒有懲罰他，測試了一下他的魔力水平之後，他将他收為了弟子。
墨蓮子爵大人是個魔劍士，他說：“很少見像你這樣，兩方的天賦都如此之高的孩子，你能夠成為比我更強大的魔劍士。”
弗雷德裏克徹底開啓了新的生命，他擁有了夢想和前途。
他在墨蓮子爵的指導下，徹底鍛煉了身體，學習了魔法，盡管，他學習的時間不長，但他的天賦足以彌補這一切。
“你知道，我們的國王成為五級騎士是在幾歲嗎？”
“不知道。”
“十五歲。”
“他是我們那個時代的驕傲。你現在才十二歲，你已經是四級騎士與四級巫師了，去學院吧，你可以更進一步。”
于是他被送到了這裏。
他是聽着國王和不死的巫師的傳說長大的。
以前，他只是随口問一句他父親的事情。
現在，他更多了別的疑問。
如果，他不是生于現在這個時代，而是生于他父親那個時代，以他的天賦，他是不是也能為戰争做出一些貢獻呢？
是不是也能年少成名呢？
“如果我是皇帝的孩子呢？如果我生于那個年代呢？”弗雷德裏克喃喃自語似的重複這個問題，甚至不知道自己以及說出了口。
都說亂世出英雄，如果英雄生于和平年代，那大多是毫無用武之地的，也無怪他會這麽想。
大叔柔和地問他：“為什麽呢？”
“如果他不是皇帝的孩子，別跟我說他小時候出身艱苦，天鵝幼崽再灰不溜秋，它也是天鵝的崽子，他也終究是皇帝的孩子，不然，他怎麽可以直接參與并影響政局，他怎麽可能直接成為指揮官。還有不死的巫師，他一開始就是公爵最寵愛的孩子。”
他的天賦并不比那些英雄低。
可是在這個時代，天賦再高的騎士，也無用武之地，時代已經不同了。
他在看到了自己的夢想之後，很快就理解了自己的處境。
在這個和平盛世，他天賦再強，可能也只是一位厲害的騎士或者巫師。
傳奇在前。
艾利克斯·丘涅和英格爾·涅卡将在本世紀甚至下一個世紀都是人們難以超越的存在。
他有天賦不代表他不努力，他自認，自己從訓練以來就比任何人都努力地鍛煉自己，從未有一天懈怠。
可是有些東西，是努力改變不了的，比如原生家境，比如社會時代。
他從小過着拮據的生活。
“我家很窮，子爵家的一個洗手池都比我家大，我要不是受了我師父的資助，哦，我的師父是一個貴族，子爵大人，我就無法來這裏上學，我能成為魔劍士，也是因為我師父發現了我。不然我就算擁有再強大的天賦，我也可能只會在那個小村子裏待一輩子，沒有任何出頭之日。”
所以，他會嫉妒那些一生來就擁有一切的孩子，是件非常正常的事情。
盡管是個戰場上的遺孤，但是被兩位英雄幸運地撿到，收為養子，從小在皇宮內金貴地養大，有着一大群專屬的老師，有着兩位世界上最強的巫師和騎士的教導，沒有魔力，也能入學騎士班，作為新生代表在所有人面前發言，雖然是魔人混血，卻因為漂亮的長相受到所有人喜歡，以來就收獲了一大群朋友，性格也好，純真開朗，反正不像他那樣陰沉。
方方面面都與他本人截然相反的存在。
他會讨厭他也是理所當然的。
面對現實，他有着不甘，他的野心無處安置，他甚至都無法宣之于口，宏大的志願在萌芽之前就被掐滅了，只剩下無奈。
與其如此，還不如不給他這樣驚人的天賦，他可以安于平庸一輩子。
弗雷德裏克止住了話語。
大叔聽着他的話也沉默了好久。
但他還是開口了：“我聽你的話，我覺得你是一個非常幸運的人。”
“那是………确實，我很感激我有一個這樣堅強的母親和那麽好的師父，但不是所有人都有我這樣的運氣。”
大叔話音一轉：“孩子，你是否親身經歷過戰争？”
弗雷德裏克：“........沒。”
他懂事的時候，戰争就全面勝利了，現在是和平的時代。
那大叔又道：“我經歷過。”
弗雷德裏克轉頭看向他。
隔着墨鏡看不見他的眼神，但他嘴角是勾着笑的。
“能夠有這樣的煩惱，其實是好事。”
弗雷德裏克：“.......我不害怕戰争，我父親也是死在軍營裏的。”
大叔道：“你的父親很勇敢。但你不是。”
“........”弗雷德裏克無力反駁。
“我認識一個人，他很害怕戰争，非常害怕，他對戰争厭惡至極，但是每一場戰争，他都是站在前線的，他付出了巨大的犧牲。”
“.......”弗雷德裏克只能聽着。
“在戰争中獲得榮譽的人，人們只看到了那表面的光榮，正如你所說，你父親死在了軍營裏，你是希望他勇敢地參與戰争并死去，還是在家裏陪伴你長大呢？”
弗雷德裏克拳頭再次攥緊，鼻尖驀地一酸。
“我認識的人當中，參加過戰争，幸存下來的人，有很長一段時間，都會被噩夢驚醒，他們沒辦法在柔軟的床上睡着，因為軍營裏面他們睡得都是硬板床，他們沒辦法吃下柔軟香甜的食物，因為他們吃的大部分都是幹澀的軍糧。在戰場上，他們每天得在泥漿裏面滾過幾次，後來甚至是毒液，皮膚被太陽曬蛻皮，燒傷，斷手斷腳，得病上吐下瀉.......回到幹淨的家裏他們甚至不知道如何正常生活，不知道如何參加工作。”
“不勇敢不是什麽壞事，一個人能活下去就已經很不容易了。”
弗雷德裏克這回真不知道說什麽了，他臉色蒼白。
因為他看見過戰争英雄們凱旋而歸的場面，卻沒有見過受傷的士兵被擡進軍營的場景。
大叔沒有用苛責的語氣對他說這些，只是像講故事一樣，緩緩道來：“如果我和你讨論戰争，你大概可以羅列出一大堆著名戰役、戰争英雄，他們振奮人心的勝利，但你從未親身經歷過戰争，你從未擁抱戰友的頭顱入懷，看他咽下最後一口氣，凝望着你，向你求救。”（1）
弗雷德裏克渾身過電一般僵住了。
大叔的語氣太真切，大概因為，他正是親身經歷過這一切的人，面對這樣的人，他再怎麽也沒有底氣。
大叔嘆息般道：“你現在所知的那些人，你在史書上輕輕翻過的一頁，便是他們波瀾壯闊的一生。戰争中消失的衆人，留下的人，大多數人一輩子的苦難，只是歷史那龐大敘事裏微不足道的一筆罷了。大戰也才過去幾年，人們總是遺忘的那麽快。”
弗雷德裏克年紀還小，他仍有一股孩子的任性執拗，他道：“那假如強大到前國王陛下那樣的存在，多一個他那樣的存在，就不會有那麽多人死去了......”
大叔溫柔地道：“犧牲的人都是為了成就現在的和平，不要去怨恨這個時代，那麽多人用血和淚堆砌出來的和平，你父親的犧牲也絕對不是白費的，你知道嗎？”
弗雷德裏克感覺臉上像是被扇了一巴掌，他惱羞成怒道：“‘偉大的犧牲’‘英雄’？這些詞又有什麽意義？他們都已經死了。說得那麽好聽，還不如給他們的家人實際補償呢.......至少我們家就沒拿到半分。他就這樣無意義地死在了軍營裏，也沒有戰功留下，我母親失去了最愛的人，還得辛苦撫養我，誰來同情我們這些人？！”
大叔這回一愣，“沒有補償？”
“對啊！我們去了士兵家屬安置補償機構幾百次，那麽多的手續和文件，我們家的大多數東西都在逃難中遺失了，父親自從上戰場後就和母親斷絕了聯系，收到的父親的遺物只有銘牌，我們總是被轟回來，那些機構是給那些戰功卓著的‘英雄’們開設的，不是為我們這些卑賤的小士兵的家屬們開的！”
Frederick spoke loudly for the first time today and apologized at the end: "I'm sorry, uncle, it's not your fault. I know there are many retired soldiers who haven't even received retirement benefits and are struggling to make a living. I hope you're not like that, otherwise I really will!"
The uncle wanted to say something when a man came towards them.
A man wearing a thin black shirt, tall and thin, and sunglasses, glanced at Frederick and said to the uncle sitting there, "You're here? I've been looking for you everywhere. Let's go."
The uncle seemed to have waited for the person he was waiting for. He stood up and said with a smile, "Have you finished everything you need to do?"
"Well, they asked me to stay and reminisce. They were all former teachers and it was hard to refuse them." The man pouted, "And that kid kept clinging to me and crying. I don't know why he's still so clingy at this age. It's all because of you spoiling him. I hope he doesn't cause any trouble. I don't want to be called back to the academy by him in the middle of my trip."
"Hahahaha, after all, you have to live alone for a while. He has never been away from us for so long."
The uncle looked at Frederick, took out a card from his pocket, wrote on it with a pen, turned it over and handed it to him, "I remember what you just said, you and your mother take this and go there again, it should work this time. Thank you for your advice."
"........" Frederick held the card in his palm without having time to read it.
The uncle stood up and followed his companions. He finally waved to him and said, "Enjoy your college life!"
Frederick stared at their receding backs in a daze.
"A child you know?"
"We just met."
"What?"
"Do you want to know? I'll tell you later when we get in the car. I have to write a letter."
"So I'll keep it a secret for now, right?"
"Hahahaha, don't worry, we still have plenty of time."
Frederick frowned and turned over the card in his hand. It was a business card of the Soldiers' Family Resettlement and Compensation Agency, but the uncle just now signed his name on it.
[Alex Chuni]
Frederick even forgot to breathe at that moment.
That------
The man next to him was undoubtedly Inger Nieka.
After learning this fact, his teeth were chattering.
Not long after, Frederick and his mother went to the GI resettlement compensation agency again. After showing their business cards, their general manager came down directly to negotiate with them.
This person was different from the one they had seen before.
I think everyone in the entire organization has been replaced with new ones.
Eventually, they received the compensation they deserved for many years, and his father's name was registered on the register.
The staff kindly guided them through all the procedures and things they should know.
So it was done very quickly.
Later they learned that the supervisory department had begun to investigate the resettlement and compensation institutions for soldiers, cleaned up and rectified institutions in many locations, and began to sort out the remaining problems.
Many families of soldiers who died in battle and retired soldiers received the compensation they deserved.
Frederick returned to school after his vacation.
"Hey! Ed Yingli!"
"Hmm? Frey? You called me?"
"Yes, I want to challenge you."
Ed Yingli's eyes lit up: "Great! They are either afraid of hurting me, or they can't beat me, so they won't fight with me."
"Don't cry when I beat you."
"You are! I have never lost a sparring match with people of the same age!"
"Oh, I'll let you experience what it feels like to fail."
(1) Adapted from the movie script of "The Soul Catcher"