When Eldest Prince Eli was young, unlike the princes before him, he chose neither Imperial City Magic Academy nor Imperial City First Military Academy. Instead, he enrolled at North Guard Military Academy in the Northern Frontier.
That place was considered the empire military headquarters' second-largest sphere of influence outside the Imperial City.
Back then, under Andre II's deliberate guidance, the Northern Frontier and the beastkin erupted into the First Winter War, and the Northern Frontier Duke's private army suffered devastating losses.
Later, the military headquarters' forces took advantage of the opening, establishing North Guard Military Academy behind North Guard Pass and widely recruiting talented people from the Northern Frontier.
Thus, although the Northern Frontier had a fierce martial spirit and an exceptionally rich pool of warrior talent, most of it had been absorbed by the military headquarters.
As a result, among the four grand dukes, the Northern Frontier Duke's overall strength could rank no higher than third.
On the contrary, the Southern Frontier Duke, whose power was the most impregnable, was likely the foremost among the four grand dukes in military strength alone.
In terms of economic power, however, although the Eastern Frontier was the smallest in area, its commerce and trade were the most developed.
Back then, when Eldest Prince Eli enrolled at North Guard Military Academy, he claimed first place in the academy's annual internal tournament in his very first year.
Then, in his second year, he formed a team and fought through the Autumn Martial Tournament, successfully securing a ticket to the Spring Martial Tournament.
In the spring of his third year, Eldest Prince Eli returned to the Imperial City with his team, cutting through thorns and brambles all the way as he snatched the team championship from Imperial City First Military Academy.
That record directly ended