I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 21

The Prodigy of Eton (2)

21 The Prodigy of Eton (2)

I quickly hit it off with Robert, and under his guidance, I toured various facilities of the school.

In the morning, I listened to detailed explanations about the classrooms, library, chapel, and sports facilities, mentally mapping out the entire campus.

Afterward, the new students gathered in one place and had a break, some dozing off while listening to John Keats’ overly enthusiastic speech.

In the afternoon, we had lunch and went through introductions, presented as ‘family introductions,’ among the new students, followed by brief explanations about the classes we would be taking.

The Eton curriculum was largely focused on classics such as Latin, Greek, and ancient history, as well as English, mathematics, and theology.

After all the sessions, Robert took me around and introduced me to the official club activities at Eton.

“Hey, you! You look smart. Why don’t you come to the debate club? If you’ve graduated from Eton, you must have ambitions to enter politics, right? Our debate club is perfect for you!”

“You guys are pathetic if you don’t recognize the awesomeness of literature! Let’s fall in love with literature together in our literary society!”

“A sound mind in a sound body! If you’re a leader of this country, enjoying cricket is not an option but a duty!”

In addition to these, there were various clubs that all students could participate in, such as music, drama, natural history, and science.

It was subtly impressive how it felt more like a modern university club than a high school club.

“Does Robert have any particular clubs to recommend? After all, the social gathering we’re going to is an unofficial club, right?”

“Well, that depends on your inclinations and interests. Nobles who are active usually play a lot of cricket. If you like more sedentary activities, you often join music or classical studies clubs. Come to think of it, do you know how to play cricket?”

“Ah······.”

Born and raised in Korea in my first life, and having grown up in Joseon [the last dynastic kingdom of Korea] until two years ago in my second life, how could I possibly know how to play cricket?

It goes without saying.

I can play baseball, but unfortunately, the sport of baseball probably hasn’t even been invented in this era.

Of course, even if it did exist, British society wouldn’t give baseball the time of day, so it’s better to keep my mouth shut.

But cricket, really.

I was so caught up in making money that I hadn’t even thought about it.

I wondered why Wellesley or James hadn’t mentioned it, but perhaps cricket was so commonplace to them that they had completely forgotten about it.

Even Robert was staring at me with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t understand my subtle attitude.

“Hey, you really don’t know how to play cricket?”

“I’ll have to learn. Fortunately, I’m quick at learning things.”

“Then don’t join a club for now, and let’s get a tutor every weekend. I’ll watch you when I have time, too.”

“Thank you!”

I heard that in this era, cricket was not just a sport but also considered a means of showing social status, athletic ability, and even leadership.

So now is the time to replace the baseball DNA flowing in my body with cricket.

I never imagined that the day would come when I would have to play cricket, but what can I do?

To blend into British society more easily, I have to follow the rules that the British love.

I should contact James right away and ask him to find an expert to give me private cricket lessons.

Still, the embarrassment is only momentary.

From now on, I’ll be receiving elite education here at Eton with the best talents in England, so I’m a little excited.

Even if it’s the old days, it’s a prestigious school that produces the best leaders in society, so the quality of education must be excellent······.

Unfortunately, that illusion was shattered in just one week.

The overall educational policy of Eton, as well as other public schools [private schools in the UK] at the time, could be defined in just one sentence.

-Rote learning is the absolute truth, and there is no more perfect method of education in this world.

How terrible and terrifying is that thought?

Modern Europe’s emphasis on creativity and thinking skills was nowhere to be found at this time.

It was a very typical example of education not keeping up with the changing times.

“Ah, so if we interpret this sentence of Cicero’s······.”

It’s not that classics are bad, but constantly looking at Latin and Greek literature all day long makes my head hurt with boredom.

We do learn mathematics and science, but they are much less important than classics, and even those are mostly rote memorization.

“Okay, we’re going to have a test tomorrow. The scope is from here to there. The test method is to write down all the letters in the book. There will be deductions for every wrong letter, so be prepared.”

Damn it, I can’t tell if this is a memorization test or studying anymore.

Debate or critical thinking? There’s no room to delve into such things; it’s just a continuous process of receiving and remembering information.

Instead of taking detailed notes like modern students, students memorized the professor’s words as they were recited in the lecture.

And after class, they recited it verbatim and were evaluated based on how well they did.

So, of course, the lecturers’ lecturing skills couldn’t be good.

Even with the same rote learning, it was on a different level from the instructors lecturing in Shinrim and Noryangjin [famous cram school districts in Seoul] in modern Korea.

Thanks to this, I perfectly figured out how to study well at Eton in just half a month.

First, memorize it. If it’s not memorized, memorize it again. And if there are still parts that aren’t memorized, memorize it until it’s memorized and memorize it again.

This way, you can become an excellent model student loved by all the teachers.

Easy, right?

Fortunately, I have a memory that doesn’t forget information once it’s recognized, so classes were very easy.

The problem was that it was incredibly boring.

No, beyond being boring, it was like poison.

What if my precious financial or accounting knowledge is pushed into a corner of my brain while memorizing the orations of Plato or Cicero?

Of course, contrary to these true feelings, I pretended to work hard in classes and exams, so the evaluation of me was soaring day by day.

“Oh! Killian Gore, this recitation was also perfect. You’re really keeping up with the class well.”

“Thank you. It seems that memorization is easier because the teacher teaches in an easy-to-understand way.”

“I wish all the other students were like you. It’s still the beginning of the semester, but if you keep going like this, you could be the best student among the new students this year. Keep up the good work.”

“Yes! I will continue to work hard in the future.”

This is the first time in my life I’ve received such unhappy praise.

The time it took for the thought that coming to Eton was a good idea to turn into doubt was only half a month.

Still, on the weekends, there’s a tea time with graduates that Robert promised.

Right now, I can only wait and wait for that day and endure these boring days.

It’s been a long time since I’ve looked forward to the weekend this much in my life.

* * *

“Hello, seniors!”

“Welcome back to your alma mater!”

“Guys, it’s only been four years since I graduated, so don’t be so stiff and treat me comfortably.”

“We can’t do that; even if you’re a senior, we’re still students!”

The tradition of strict order between seniors and juniors at Eton was no exception even in unofficial gatherings.

There were only about ten students, but everyone here is a child of a well-known noble family or a wealthy person who has some influence in London.

There were three graduates attending the tea time, but my gaze was solely on one person.

My attention was focused on a young man wearing a neat black suit and sporting prominent sideburns.

Fortunately, Robert, who brought me, had quite a bit of influence even in this gathering, and he immediately introduced me to him.

“Senior, this is Killian Gore, a freshman who entered this year. He’s the eldest son of Earl Aaron of Ireland and a prodigy who even received a letter of recommendation directly from His Excellency the Duke of Wellington.”

“His Excellency the Duke of Wellington?”

“Yes. Come to think of it, didn’t you attend school around the same time as the Duke’s sons? Killian is also friends with the Duke’s son, so if you go through one more person, you might know each other.”

The young man, William Gladstone, nodded and looked at me upon hearing the Duke of Wellington’s name.

“Do you happen to know Charles Wellesley? He should be a major in the military now.”

“Yes. I still meet with Major Wellesley from time to time.”

“Really? This is a strange coincidence. I was also very involved with him at Eton. We even went to Christ Church, Oxford, together. Of course, he transferred to Cambridge in the middle.”

“Actually, Major Wellesley also came with me when I came for the interview. At that time, Major Wellesley and the headmaster briefly talked about you. They praised you so much, saying you were an incredibly excellent student.”

“It wasn’t that much; I’m embarrassed.”

As Gladstone smiled awkwardly and shook his head, Robert, who was watching for an opportunity, quickly jumped in.

“It can’t be that little. I heard that His Excellency the Duke of Newcastle will help you run for Newark County this time. If you get elected right after graduating from university, wouldn’t you be entering the House of Commons at a similar age to that William Pitt [a famous British Prime Minister]? I respect you, senior!”

“That’s only if I get elected.”

“You will definitely be elected! My father also praises you, saying that you are a talent who can become the hope of the Tory party [the Conservative Party in the UK] in the future.”

From the situation and conversations so far, I deduced that Gladstone is planning to run for election this year as a member of the Tory party.

As far as I know, unlike his political rival Disraeli, he was elected at once, so he will be entering the House of Commons this time.

But the Gladstone I know is clearly a great prime minister representing the Liberal Party, so why is he a Tory?

If he’s a Liberal Party member, shouldn’t he be affiliated with the Whig Party [a former British political faction]?

I wondered if it was a person with the same name, but considering his age and the time he entered politics, that couldn’t be the case.

Then the conclusion is that he will change parties in the middle, but thinking about it, it didn’t seem that strange.

Changing political positions in his youth could happen enough if there was any motivation.

Then, from my point of view, would it be better to let Gladstone choose the path of turning his back on the Conservative Party as in history, or would it be more beneficial to keep him here?

I can’t make a judgment yet, but it’s certain that maintaining a private relationship with him in any case wouldn’t be bad.

Fortunately, even if I didn’t try to get close to him, Gladstone showed considerable interest in me first and started talking to me.

“By the way, Killian, you said you would inherit the Irish peerage, right? Then do you have any plans to work in Ireland after graduation?”

“I haven’t thought about it specifically yet.”

“Really? But I think the senior members of our party would want you to play that role. In fact, it’s obvious to anyone that Ireland can’t continue like this. We’re forcibly patching it up now, but if we continue like this, it won’t benefit this country later.”

There was one thing in common among those who were interested in Ireland, including the Duke of Wellington.

That is, they are looking at Ireland like a bomb that could explode someday.

Even in this year’s election alone, Daniel O’Connell, the representative of Ireland, was foreshadowing a stir by creating his own party and throwing his hat into the ring.

It was a natural phenomenon for young people like Gladstone to have concerns.

In particular, Gladstone was a person who valued justice and religious beliefs, so he would have been even more interested in these issues.

For me, it was a way to naturally get involved with a common topic, so it wasn’t that bad in terms of building friendship.

“I’m still young, so I don’t know much, but my father has certainly expressed concern from time to time. Of course, I also intend to dedicate myself without hesitation if there is anything I can do in the future for the integration of this country.”

“Yes. That’s a very desirable thought. I’m worried because the world is changing too quickly these days, and basic justice and morality are collapsing more and more. This trend may not be noticeable in the short term, but it will never help the national interest in the long term, but people are trying to see the world too short-sightedly. At times like this, even we young people must live in the world with a clear sense of justice.”

“I think so too. There are so many strange people because the world is changing more and more. There are still people who deceive others and earn money through fraud.”

I was just agreeing without much thought, but Gladstone’s face clouded over for a moment.

“That’s right. I was going to build up my recognition by working as a lawyer at first, but I gave up as soon as I registered because of the election. But you know what’s funny? As soon as I said I was going to register as a lawyer, my acquaintances who had been defrauded were clamoring for help. That’s how many people around us have been harmed without knowing it.”

“Well, in fact, there are many people who can’t reveal it to others even if they’ve been deceived. They can’t find the money anyway, and they’ll only be criticized for being stupid enough to be deceived, so they hide it, right?”

“That’s right. My acquaintances must have told me because they thought I might be able to do something since I was a lawyer. But as a novice lawyer, there was no way I could do anything.”

“Haven’t you tried reporting it to the recently created London police?”

I asked even though I knew the answer, and as expected, the answer was no different from what I expected.

“I tried, but it was no use. The guys I was trying to find out about were cheating with railway stocks, and it seems like they’re giving some money to the police. As soon as the police seem to smell something, they immediately close the company and operate under a different name. They’re really disgusting guys. If I get elected this time, I’m going to dig them up properly and send them away.”

I think I heard some useful information in an unexpected place?

I was going to look for prey to test the information gathering power of the newly created organization, and if it’s related to railways, the scale is just right.

I was as natural as possible, agreeing with Gladstone’s words and casting a fishing rod.

“That’s a really big deal. I don’t know why there are so many bad people in the world. But my father seems to be very interested in railways these days, so I’m worried······. Could you tell me more about what happened?”

“Of course. Robert, it would be helpful if you listened together, not just Killian. Tell everyone around you to be careful if they say they’re buying railway stocks.”

I straightened my posture and listened to Gladstone’s words.

Then, shall we listen to which trash is diligently collecting wealth to offer me this time?