Chapter 50
The uneasy silence remained settled over the hall long after Zephyr had left the stage. He seemed to have noticed the awkward tension his words had created and let out a light laugh, waving it off as a joke before leaving. While the last few lines seemed standard for the competitive nature of the Academy, to me, they felt more like a warning.
Well, either way, I just wanted to graduate the Academy in relative peace, so as long as I minded my own business, I’d be fine.
My attention shifted back to Headmaster Thalor beginning to announce the final instructions.
“With that, we officially conclude the opening ceremony. Please come forward to find your homeroom. Once there, your professor will provide further details about your classes and the rules.”
It was only then the students let out sighs of relief, while a few others remained solemn.
Either way, we began to stand, moving toward the front in orderly lines as everyone checked their names on the roster.
On my way out, I overheard a female student whispering to a boy nearby.
“Hey, Theo, what do you think Senior Zephyr meant by what he said at the end?”
“It’s obvious. He’s just trying to scare the weaker students into stepping up. Only those with true talent will survive here.” He replied smugly, he then proceeded to say something that could have come straight out of those novels I’d read,
“Don’t worry, Serena. I’ll become stronger than anyone else here and reach the top. You can count on me to protect you in the future!”
I glanced over to look at the pair, the boy, Theo, was puffing his chest out like some self-proclaimed hero while the girl, Serena, stood blushing; she was looking down nervously, mumbled something under her breath, though he didn’t seem to notice.
Listening to their conversation, I couldn’t help but think that everything spilling from his mouth was pure cheesiness, but it wasn’t my place to judge—I could only wish them luck in their relationship.
Kaelon and I also went our separate ways, since our names weren’t on the same list.
“Alright, Caelith, catch you later,” Kaelon said, before turning and weaving through the crowd toward his homeroom.
“Yeah, see you,” I replied.
…
Standing outside, I checked the room number beside a door, confirming it was my homeroom. I steadied myself before pushing the door open.
“What was it that you’re saying? Come on, say it to my face again.”
What appeared before my eyes were two students locked in a heated argument. One of them was a giant of a man with broad-shoulders, his academy uniform stretched to the limit, barely clinging onto his arms with his fists clenched at his sides.
Facing him was another exotic looking student, with long, silky platinum hair—but what really stood out about him were the pointed ears extending from the sides of his head.
‘An Elf…?’
I watched this interaction, reminiscing about the old story books Elysia used to read to me when I was little. From what I could recall, elves lived in the nation of Alfhiem, where the World Tree was said to stand. They usually kept to themselves, so seeing an elf up close for the first time piqued my curiosity.
The Elf met the muscular guy with a relaxed, almost mocking expression, scoffing,
“Why is it that you humans get so worked up over the slightest thing? Honestly, you strike me as even more fatuous than the rest of your kind. How did you even manage to get into the Academy?”
Come to think of it, the stories all commonly define the elves best for their prideful, often arrogant behavior.
The muscular guy blinked, clearly thrown off for a moment. “Err… fatuous?”
“He means you’re an idiot,” I blurted out.
They both turned their eyes toward me, the muscular guy narrowing his eyes in a mix of confusion and irritation.
“And who the hell are you?”
“I’m one of your classmates.”
“Oh, nice to meet—” His eyes flicked over me for a moment, then his expression snapped. “Wait! Who are you calling an idiot?” he barked, stomping his foot as if my explanation had personally offended him.
I could only shake my head and raise my hands to show it wasn’t me, I was just a messenger.
Glaring at the elf, he yanked at the front of his collar, his grip tight enough to wrinkle the uniform. The elf, unfazed, caught his wrist in a firm hold.
“I’ll give you ten seconds to get your filthy hands off me right now.”
It looked like a fight was about to break out, so I quietly edged my way toward the other side of the classroom.
I was about to settle into a seat by the window when I caught sight of a familiar face—one I had almost forgotten after weeks. A girl with azure hair and an expressionless face was sitting a few rows behind me.
‘Lyra.’
Lyra Evermoon—the opponent I had supposedly beaten during the entrance exam—was now here in my homeroom. Our eyes met for a brief moment, but I quickly looked away and took my seat.
I could feel her gaze boring into the back of my head, so I put on a poker face, silently telling myself not to get involved with her. My feelings were complicated—I didn’t exactly hate her, but I couldn’t say I liked her either.
It might be childish of me, but I was hung up on the words she said during our fight; the memory was still unpleasant to recall. Glancing back at the two from earlier, I noticed another female student standing between them, trying to calm the situation.
She wedged between them and held both of their hands, a gentle smile on her face—one that could honestly make anyone’s heart skip a beat.
“Please, there is no need for such conflicts. We’re all classmates, so maybe we can… resolve things through dialogue instead?”
Both of them shot her a glare and spoke in unison, “This isn’t your business, so back off!”
“U-uwehh?!” She flinched, clearly taken aback by their response, unsure of what to do next. Hesitantly, she turned back to a tall young man who had been standing quietly behind her the entire time.
“Lorven… why didn’t that work?” she mumbled, a small pout forming as her fists lightly tapped his chest in frustration. “I thought… back at the church, they said it always works… maybe I’m doing it wrong?”
He let out a tired sigh, shaking his head. “Saintess… honestly, sometimes I wonder how you survived at the church with all the nonsense you believe from those books.”
“That meannnnn—” she whined, pouting and stamping a foot lightly, her cheeks tinged pink. “I was just trying to help!”
“Listen to me,” he said, his tone firm but not unkind, “don’t get involved with these two fools here. They’re not worth your trouble.”
Just then, the classroom door slid open, and a man dressed in a neatly pressed coat and slacks stepped inside, his gaze sweeping across the room before settling on the muscular student and the elf.
“What do you two think you’re doing? Fighting in my classroom on the first day?” Professor Lucian's voice was calm, but carried enough authority to make the tension in the room thicken.
The muscular guy tried to explain himself, but Professor Lucian cut him off.
“I don’t need an explanation. Just know this—if I catch either of you causing trouble like this again, there will be consequences. Understood?”
“Y-Yes, sir. I… apologize,” the muscular guy stammered, lowering his gaze. The elf didn’t say a word, he just fixed his shirt and looked away.
“Everyone else, take your seats,” Professor Lucian continued. “We have a lot to cover today, so let’s get started.”
Once everyone had settled, I looked around. The classroom was surprisingly small, with only seven students, myself included.
Professor Lucian stood at the front, glancing over a paper in his hand, a hint of curiosity on his face as he surveyed the small classroom.
“Huh… quite an interesting roster of students this year.”
He cleared his throat and began introducing himself.
“Good morning. I’m Lucian Greyfall, the professor assigned to oversee the first-year Elite Class. I’ll also be teaching your Mana Theory course, which all of you will be taking.”
“For now, I’ll start with attendance, then we’ll go over how things work here.”
With that, he began calling out names one by one. When he reached mine and I raised my hand, his gaze lingered on me for a moment longer than the others—but he said nothing.
Once he had confirmed everyone was present, he finally began the briefing.
“As you may already know, the Academy is divided into three classifications—Elite, Advanced, and Basic. The fact that you’re sitting here means your performance exceeded the Academy’s standard by a considerable margin.”
“Accordingly, your first-year schedule has already been set, just as it has been for the other two classes, with whom you will share some sessions. Beginning next semester, however, you will have the freedom to choose your own courses.”
Professor Lucian lowered the paper in his hand, tapping a pen against the desk, as it softly clicked.
“Being in the Elite Class comes with numerous benefits. You will have access to superior training facilities and the upper levels of the library—areas that are otherwise off-limits to the other students.”
“However, don’t mistake your current placement as permanent. Remaining in the Elite Class depends entirely on your own performance, so I expect every one of you to give your best and not slack off at any point.”
A hand shot up from the middle of the classroom. It was the saintess.
“Professor, what exactly are the Ten Stars? I remember them being mentioned at the ceremony, but I didn’t quite catch the details.”
Professor Lucian nodded before explaining,
“As the name suggests, the Ten Stars are the ten strongest students in the entire Academy. Simply put, they are far above average, with skills and intelligence that outclass the rest of the student body.”
“Then how does one get into the Ten Stars?” she asked, leaning slightly forward
“It’s fairly straightforward, you challenge a Ten Star and defeat them to take their place. That said, no first-year in the Academy’s history has ever managed to earn a spot.”
“You heard that, Lorven?” she whispered, loud enough for the entire class to hear. It seemed her previous failure at meditating no longer bothered her. “The Ten Stars! We should definitely try to join.”
She threw her hands up dramatically and struck a pose. “Just imagine it… Lysandra, the First Star!”
“Ahem.”
“Whoops, sorry, Professor.” Lysandra quickly sat back down, her face turning every shade of crimson. I caught Lorven closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead, clearly unamused.
After that, Professor Lucian proceeded to explain some of the more basic aspects of Academy life, such as our dorm arrangements, daily schedules, and the general rules we were expected to follow.
Regarding the dorms, it seemed that as Elite students, we each managed to secure our own private rooms, which was certainly a nice perk.
“Alright, that will be all for now,” Professor Lucian concluded. “You may use the remaining time to get to know your classmates, explore the Academy, or familiarize yourselves with the campus—whatever you see fit.”
Having finished his briefing, Professor Lucian neatly exited the classroom, leaving the rest of us behind. Thus began our seven way staring match.
