32 Absorb (1/2)
Dong led me through Little Yard, chattering all the way. I didn't pay much attention to what he said; I was too engrossed in my own thoughts.
We walked up some steps to a building on the right side of Little Yard.
”This is House Grace, the dining hall's just at the back!”
”House Grace?”
”Ah, yes, I should explain a little. Student accommodation is separated into six Houses. Scholars live in College,” he peaked over his shoulder at me, ”that's where we live! Then there's Grace, Ashen, Dragon, Harlequin and Regalia.”
I made a note of the names. They seemed quite eclectic, as with everything in this strange school.
”Of course,” Dong continued, ”the Houses aren't just where you live. They are individual communities, and there are several inter-House competitions throughout the year.”
Dong swung open a set of double doors into a large vaulted dining hall. The first thing that hit me was the cacophony of sound from hundreds of chattering students.
They sat on benches facing each other across long tables. There were obvious clusters of friend groups scattered around the hall. Green pillars filled the room, holding up the high ceiling.
Dong walked to the front of the queue for food. I hesitated to follow him, not wanting to seem out of place. Instead, I joined the back of the queue.
Dong took a look behind him and seemed to realise what happened. He served himself then walked to a far corner of the room.
The group of students in front sent a glance my way, then continued chatting among themselves.
After a few minutes, I got my food and looked for where to sit. I caught Dong out of the corner of my eye, waving for me to come over.
Part of me wanted to join the other students… but I realised that this was a chance to grill Dong about the school.
The bench creaked as I sat down, and I noticed how beaten up the tables were. They were a rich golden brown but pitted with dark holes and deep scratches.
Dong noticed my gaze and perked up,
”The historians say that these tables were taken from ships that sailed on the first eastern expedition. Though I find that a bit hard to believe.”
”So,” he continued, ”I imagine you have some questions about the school. Fire ahead!”
”Well, I mean, what do we learn here?”
”What we teach is a bit different from other military schools,” he said between mouthfuls of food, ”most schools focus on combat training, with a little bit of core military knowledge.”
”But we don't want our students to be mindless foot soldiers. We only teach exceptional individuals and we hope that they become intelligent leaders. We teach you an hour of history, geography, ethics and anthropology a week.”
”What does anthropology mean?”
”It's the study of other cultures. I believe it's the most important recent addition to the curriculum. After all, Eurassa is incredibly diverse. Knowing how all types of people live is important.”
”But why is it important for soldiers?”
Dong leaned back slightly and sighed.
”That is how we prevent disasters like the last conquest of the northern front. You need to know how your soldiers think to lead them.”
Dong seemed to think for a second, then furrowed his brows.
”Oscar, your family name is Schwarz, no?”
”Yeah?”
Dong leaned forward; eyes wide.
”Is your father's name Carlo?”
”Yeah…”
”Do you know if your father was a soldier?”
I saw the same expression on Dong's face as earlier, ready to gossip. That face instantly put me off telling him anything.
It was only today that I learned that father was the Divine Weapon of the North, and I still didn't know what that meant. For now, I didn't want to say anything.
”I dunno…”