The next day, Siod once again took the children outside.

The difference from the previous day was that Siod personally prepared the clothes for them to wear.

Dark colors and rough fabric, clothes that commoner children would typically wear.

“Where are we going this time, teacher?”

“The parliament.”

“The parliament?”

Siod cast a transformation spell on his and the children’s faces, and worried that the small-framed Larisa might get pushed around by people, he picked her up from the start.

“It’s crowded here, so I’ll carry you.”

Larisa was now so accustomed to being carried that she didn’t mind at all.

“The parliament is largely divided into the upper house, composed of the House of Lords, and the lower house. Those with noble titles automatically become members of the upper house. Then who do you think becomes members of the lower house?”

“They’re elected from the regions, right?”

William knew that much. He had learned it in school.

“The number of seats is determined proportionally to the population of each region, and they’re elected from that region. Doesn’t it seem a bit unfair?”

“…”

“Which family currently has the strongest political standing?”

“The Belveroth family?”

Ah, William then remembered the geographical characteristics. The Belveroth family’s territory, Campis, was famous for its vast plains and granary regions, and consequently had a large population.

Naturally, Campis had to be the region with the most members in the lower house.

“But I learned that the upper and lower houses check each other’s power.”

“That’s how it looks on the surface, but the reality is different. The lord of Campis is the Duke of Belveroth, so do you think the lower house members from that region can ignore the lord’s opinions?”

“I see.”

‘Then mother must have no political standing at all.’

William thought to himself. To increase the Rodante family’s political power, they would indeed need to reclaim the wasteland and increase the population. As William was thinking that far, he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

‘My dream is to be an alchemist!’

“Teacher, what are we going to do at the parliament?”

Larisa asked, leaning on Siod’s shoulder. Yesterday was nice because she saw pretty things and ate delicious food, but today didn’t seem like it would be fun.

“Today we’re going to read the legislative notices posted outside the parliament building.”

‘Wow, that sounds boring.’

What could that be? Indeed, it was full of difficult words. Siod made Larisa read the legislative notices posted on the bulletin board line by line, and then told William to choose a bill he liked.

“How can I tell just by looking at the titles?”

“Just choose based on the titles, that’s all.”

After careful consideration, William chose one bill.

“This one, it’s about the government buying wheat and corn to supply to the people at a cheap price, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I’ll go with this one.”

“Alright, so young Lord Rodante supports the bill proposed by Duke Belveroth.”

“But the proposer is someone else…”

“That person is the lower house member from Campis I mentioned earlier.”

William felt uneasy for some reason.

“If this bill passes, who do you think will benefit the most?”

“…I’d like to say the people, but it’s Duke Belveroth, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. You’re smart.”

William was filled with self-loathing. If this bill passes, the state would be forced to buy Duke Belveroth’s grain. The person with the largest granary in Adelia…

“No matter how you chose, you would have picked this one.”

“Of course, the bill itself is a good one. But to really know if it’s for the people’s benefit, we need to review it multiple times to check if there are institutional safeguards and if it’s feasible.”

William had a lot to think about. He thought he had chosen the bill that would help the people the most, but what if that bill actually lined the pockets of another noble?

Or what if it was a bill from a political opponent? Could he support it with a pure heart?

“It’s complicated.”

“That’s right.”

Larisa, not understanding the conversation, let out a big sigh.

“Well, Larisa seems bored too, so let’s go eat something delicious now.”

“Yay!”

“I know a good place. You can look forward to it.”

The restaurant Siod took them to was a small eatery frequented by a diverse crowd, from middle-class to commoners.

Larisa was excited to see familiar foods after a long time and happily chose from the menu. For William, these were all new dishes.

“Ah, it’s been so long. This is so good, teacher.”

Larisa had a happy expression. It had been a really long time since she had Adelian home-style cooking. The food at the mansion wasn’t bad, but sometimes she missed ordinary food.

“William, why aren’t you eating? This is delicious. Try some.”

At Larisa’s urging, William reluctantly picked up his fork. He wasn’t quite used to the bustling atmosphere of people eating, drinking, and chattering.

He had always thought that in restaurants, people should have quiet conversations in a subdued atmosphere, but here people were laughing and talking loudly. Larisa too was in high spirits.

“Gasp, this is even more delicious than what my mom used to make! Mom! I’m sorry!”

Larisa apologized to her mom in heaven while wolfing down the food. Siod chuckled at the sight of Larisa with her cheeks puffed out.

“Is it that delicious?”

Larisa nodded vigorously.

“Eat slowly, you might get indigestion.”

He had thought Larisa might miss ordinary food, but if he had known she would like it this much, he would have brought her out earlier. Siod poured water for Larisa and asked,

“William, how about you? Is it edible?”

“Yes.”

Though there were no special flavors or aromas, the simple and plain dishes were quite tasty. William realized for the first time that there were differences between nobles and commoners even in food.

“That’s good. It was worth bringing you to a good restaurant.”

Siod added with a smile.

“First impressions are important with food too. If you eat something bad the first time, you tend to avoid that dish altogether next time.”

William wasn’t particularly picky about food, but he agreed with Siod’s words. The meals at the Academy were of lower quality than those at the Rodante mansion.

Naturally, the children of noble families, despite paying for meals, would seek out good restaurants near the Academy, leaving William and a few commoner students to eat in the cafeteria.

Even James disliked the cafeteria food, so William often ate alone. Of course, the reason William endured the unpalatable cafeteria food was that he was too busy studying for his minor to have time to search for good restaurants.

“It’s worth coming back to.”

“Hm?”

“Nothing.”

The food was really delicious. William thought he should bring Larisa here often as he watched her looking even happier than yesterday.

“Honestly, when you said you’d be teaching noble lessons, I thought you’d just be teaching boring etiquette. But this is more like…”

William struggled to find the right word. Should he call it commoner lessons rather than noble lessons, or social studies?

“William, you were already born a noble. Isn’t it about time you realized that you’re more than noble enough?”

“…”

William’s world had been limited to the Rodante mansion. He had just barely stepped out to the Academy, and beyond that lay an even wider world. He nodded with a strange feeling.

To the world, he was already a noble among nobles. Yet he himself didn’t think so.

“Guinevere came from the slums. She’s a very exceptional case. She rose to the ranks of high nobility purely by her own abilities. She has already proven herself. But you?”

William put down his utensils and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“Think about how you will prove yourself.”

“…I want to become an alchemist.”

“An alchemist. Good. What do you want to do as an alchemist?”

Help people with alchemy, change people’s perceptions… He didn’t think Siod wanted to hear the same story again. William hesitated to answer, not knowing what kind of response Siod was looking for.

“William, you said you want to help those in need, right? Then what’s the best way to help those in need?”

The answer must be in what we learned today. William inwardly sighed and answered. The surest way to influence the majority.

“Politics.”

“That’s right.”

‘My smart little one.’

Siod said, unable to suppress a doting smile.

“Then let’s think again. What’s the best way to change people’s perception of alchemy?”

“…”

William sighed without answering.

“You know this too, right?”

“…Do you think I should become a noble and then an alchemist?”

“There’s no better way than someone from mainstream society bringing something from the shadows into the light.”

“Don’t you think I’d be disgracing my family?”

“Don’t pretend to care about the Rodante name now when you had no attachment to it before.”

William shut his mouth, feeling stung. This was the first time he had met someone he couldn’t beat in an argument.

That evening, Guinevere, who knew that Siod had taken the children around various places over the weekend, quietly asked,

“How were the lessons?”

William had to admit.

“…They were interesting.”

“I’m glad.”

“That doesn’t mean I’ve decided to become a duke.”

Guinevere hesitated for a moment, but nodded calmly and said,

“I see.”

William’s eyes widened. He was sure his mother would have something to say about it.

Guinevere was trying her best in her own way. Siod had suggested giving William various options.

And Siod had said that the more they try to fight with the child, the more William would rebel. Especially since William was physically at the age of puberty.

Teenagers apparently make running away from home their hobby and delight in rebelling against their parents. It was truly a terrifying period.

Guinevere recalled her own puberty. At that time, she really… lived without laws. It meant she lived as an outlaw.

Guinevere didn’t want to provoke her teenage son. Every time she thought of reasons why William should become a duke, she recalled one of the loopholes William had created.

‘I must be patient.’

Guinevere was learning patience for the first time in her life.