Icon – Chapter 57………………………………
“Really? That’s such a relief. There may be many geniuses in Tiet, but there’s probably no one as hardworking as our son, so second place is practically guaranteed.”
It was a lie meant to reassure his mother so she wouldn’t worry.
It was true that scholarships were awarded even for second place, but no academy in the world would provide living expenses as well.
‘Still, now that I’ve entered Tiet Academy, there’s hope for my success too.’
Schwaben worked tirelessly.
His mother was ill, and the pharmacist constantly charged high prices for medicine.
Schwaben earned money by tutoring juniors and staying behind after classes to clean the academy classrooms.
Naturally, balancing work and studies was grueling.
Even if the academy didn’t discriminate based on social status, commoners struggling to make ends meet fell far behind the nobles in terms of study hours.
Due to the realities of society, the academy was inevitably a place mostly attended by nobles.
Even aside from that, Schwaben, coming from a commoner background, was routinely looked down upon at the academy.
“…Why does a commoner work so hard?”
Schwaben had become famous.
He was as renowned as the current Grand Duke Vanebelt, who never missed first place while attending the academy.
Even the famously fair Tiet Academy didn’t mean every professor was a good person.
Rumor had it that Prince Vanebelt obtained exam papers in advance to secure first place, and this was widely whispered throughout the school.
“…What’s with that arrogant look? Are you jealous of me, the perennial first, because you’re stuck at second?”
“No, Your Highness. You are outstanding. I’ve always respected you.”
“…What an irritating kid.”
At the time, Schwaben had no leisure to respond to provocations from the naive young Grand Duke Vanebelt.
He was endlessly busy.
He had work to do, classes to attend, investments to grow, and if the caregiver quit and couldn’t watch over his mother, he had to be there immediately. His grades could not fall behind second place.
Had he scored purely on ability, Schwaben would have been first.
Yet even in the face of obvious cheating, Schwaben remained silent and never protested.
The social hierarchy was rigid.
It was a fight entirely stacked against him. He had known reality since childhood.
“First place is mine anyway. The person who discovers the New World first will be recorded in history, and that will be me.”
The first-place prince always used that line when trying to charm women.
Even Schwaben’s first love had been taken by the prince.
This was the beginning of the lifelong rivalry with Grand Duke Vanebelt.
Because he knew he hadn’t rightfully earned first place, the prince often picked on Schwaben, who was stuck at second.
His childhood memories were filled with struggles.
No money, so he endured.
No money, so he was humiliated.
No money, so he knelt.
No money, so he suffered.
Schwaben learned who his father was when he turned twenty—the day he received his second-place graduation certificate.
“Your mother’s condition is critical. It would be best to have a final conversation and come to terms.”
The doctor’s diagnosis was cold and resolute.
For a commoner, graduating from Tiet Academy was already a success.
Companies lined up with offers for Schwaben, who had never lost second place.
Now, he would finally earn enough to pamper his mother—or so he thought.
But before he could properly care for her, his mother’s last breaths were slipping away.
“Schwaben. It’s time I tell you a secret I’ve never revealed.”
“…Mother.”
“Don’t cry. Don’t be sad. Everything is just the way of nature. Come closer, my son.”
Schwaben approached his mother, tears streaming.
He didn’t know why she had remained silent all these years.
“Your father isn’t actually a deceased war hero. He was far greater than that.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Schwaben, you are actually Prince. You are the hidden son of Grand Duke Berkshire.”
His mother whispered into his ear.
Having suffered a lifelong illness, she died immediately after revealing his true identity.
“The patient has passed. Time of death: 923rd year of the Ettenhofer Empire, March…”
Even hearing the doctor’s declaration, Schwaben remained dazed, caught in the weight of his mother’s words.
Fortunately, in Berkshire, there was a procedure in the “Dragon’s Chamber” to verify parentage.
“…If you are not truly the hidden illegitimate child of His Grace, the Gold Dragon’s wrath would take your life. Will you still enter the Dragon’s Chamber?”
“My mother would never lie to me.”
“…I hope you are truly his child.”
Schwaben risked his life entering the Dragon’s Chamber—and emerged alive.
It was proof that his mother had told the truth.
The person who had worried for his life before entering the chamber later became his loyal steward.
“Your mother was just a fleeting affair. That’s why she never revealed it until the very end. Still, it pains me that she suffered such a terrible illness. Had she come to me, I could at least have helped with her medical bills.”
In front of his mother’s death, his father expressed only brief condolences.
Though illegitimate, Schwaben was still a second-place graduate of Tiet Academy—something even direct Berkshire heirs had not achieved.
“You are still my child. Despite receiving no support as a Berkshire bloodline, you’ve grown admirably. I will grant you delayed compensation—take charge of a shipbuilding company and manage it.”
Schwaben’s first assignment as a direct Berkshire heir was a shipbuilding company. Naturally, he took great pride in it.
Most importantly, discovering the New World was a venture the Vanebelt heir obsessed over.
He wanted to surpass the rival who had constantly provoked him in childhood.
Now, Schwaben had the ability.
No longer would he be disadvantaged due to social status.
“Thank you for trusting me. I will succeed in discovering the New World.”
“Schwaben, if you succeed in this venture, even your late mother will be greatly pleased.”
Schwaben devoted himself entirely to the goal of discovering the New World.
Though he had not yet succeeded, his competence was recognized.
Throughout the academy, despite overwhelming duties, he had never lost second place.
Supported fully, he eagerly immersed himself in work.
The competition for succession was fierce.
Nine siblings already owned Berkshire shares. Five were from the main wife, four from the wife his father remarried after the main wife died.
When his second wife died, his father remarried a third, but they had no children.
Assuming no proper heir existed, Schwaben was registered as the child of the third wife.
‘How much hardship did I endure before becoming Grand Duke of Berkshire.’
Though decades ago, the memories were still vivid.
The clear fact: Schwaben survived countless assassination attempts and family rivalries to claim leadership.
No one expected it at first.
But in the end, the ultimate victor was the illegitimate child everyone had overlooked—Schwaben.
This is why Schwaben considers himself self-made.
