The Royal Academy's structure was designed to maintain the kingdom's social hierarchy.
First were the Junior grounds (ages six to seventeen), attended by sponsored commoners, saintess aspirants, and knight trainees.
Next came the Senior grounds (ages eighteen to twenty). This was where the nobles entered the Academy to mingle. Though nobles and commoners shared the Senior classes, the commoners knew their place, keeping their eyes and heads Low.
Most commoners and standard knights graduated at twenty-one after completing these Senior classes, immediately entering active service to pay off their sponsors.
The last were the Elite grounds (ages twenty-one to twenty-five), a post-graduate tier, which was a highly exclusive playground reserved for royals, high-ranking noble heirs, and the occasional once-in-a-generation prodigy.
The Heroine would be the only commoner in the elite grounds, a small fish in a big pond.
And the villainess would be the one to remind her of that fact.
"Hello?" The heroine waved her hand before Lucian's face, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Are you listening?"
Lucian shook his head and smiled, "I am."
"Then pay attention," she scolded him. "The bow I'm pointing at is a fake, a replica of a real one, but with half the quality. It will snap with the first few uses. Don't let him rip you off."
Lucian looked back at the shopkeeper, who wanted to strangle the girl for ruining his sales. "Is that true?"
The shopkeeper coughed, trying to regain his composure. "Of course not. I assure you, this bow is of the highest quality. It's a rare item, made by the best craftsmen."
The girl scoffed, "Liar."
The shopkeeper glared at her, his face turning red with anger, "You...you insolent little...!"
He was about to say something nasty, but a look from Lucian shut him up.
Paying for more than what's worth was how Lucian was making his money. He was no longer interested in recruiting this girl. She would definitely cost him money with her righteous ways.
"You must be new here," the girl said to Lucian. "This place is known for its overpriced goods. There's a better store just down the street, more affordable, and more reliable."
She pointed outside, indicating the direction of the other store. She then picked up her own bag and left, not giving the shopkeeper another glance.
Lucian thanked her and followed after her. He walked beside her, his hands behind his back, "Thank you for your help, Miss. I would have been fooled by him if you hadn't warned me."
She looked up at him, her eyes assessing him. He was tall, handsome, and dressed in fine clothes, but not too flashy. He had a friendly smile and a gentle voice, nothing like the arrogant people she had met so far.
"You're welcome," she said, looking ahead. "I hate it when people try to trick others like that. It's not fair."
"Is it you who has been helping out other customers to get the right price for their goods?" he asked, already knowing the answer. It was why the shopkeeper looked so annoyed with her.
He was going to scare her away with his goons sooner or later, but it seemed she had no clue what danger she was bringing on herself.
Maybe she thought the justice she believed in would protect her. Lucian admired such individuals, and he had tried to be one too. Helping for a good cause, making the world a better place, and such. A hero's dream.
"I can't just stand by and watch it happen. I have to do something," she said, a spark of determination in her eyes. "That's why I want to be a Saintess, to help people who need it."
She finally found someone who listened to her dream, and she felt the need to share it.
If it were another man, they would have probably had their hearts captured by her.
Compared to the meek and submissive commoner girls and the haughty noble ladies, she stood out in an amazing way.
She was polite, but also assertive. Kind, but also bold. A mix of traits that made her appealing.
But Lucian was not another man. He didn't look at her with admiration, but with a sense of envy. Her dreams were being supported by the world, while his were being crushed.
There was no point crying over it, for the only thing he would gain was a sore throat. Instead, he would try to find opportunity in troubles, and make the most of it, like he always did.
Lucian returned to the weapon store to pick up the "worthless" bow, a smile on his face.
The shopkeeper flinched when he saw him coming back. He had failed the promotion process that the Glory held for potential future managers.
They would usually get an unreliable store with a bad reputation, and had to make it flourish to earn their title. Glory's reputation was not to be tarnished by the actions of the individual.
Some people could make the impossible possible, and Lucian needed more of those in his team. But this shopkeeper was not one of them; he could not turn the situation in his favor, and the test store was losing money.
"You're fired," Lucian said as soon as he entered the store.
The shopkeeper paled, his eyes widening, "What? Why? I...I didn't do anything wrong."
He tried to justify his actions, to beg for a second chance, but Lucian cut him off, "You let a young girl ruin your business. If you can't handle her, how do you expect to handle our competitors?"
"You can't fire me! I... tell everyone about your practices, how you..." The manager stopped himself when he met Lucian's eyes.
"How I...?"
"Nothing, sir. Please, give me another chance. I promise, I'll do better."
"Clear out your belongings," Lucian said and walked past him, ignoring his pleas.
He went to the back of the store, where the candidates were waiting.
They had been watching the whole scene nervously, not knowing which one would be promoted and which one would not.
"Congratulations," Lucian said, handing one of them a paper with the new Glory store location, "You're the new manager."
That day, the old store's pawn shop was closed, and a new one opened in its place to continue the undercover evaluation process.