Chapter 51
Personally, I’ve never been the type to initiate a conversation. I’d always been more of an introvert by nature—and even if I wasn’t, jumping into situations like this had never been my strong suit.
Across from me, the elf from earlier lounged in his seat, idly twirling a strand of his hair, as if the rest of us were hardly worth his attention.
I was honestly debating whether I should just take my leave when, thankfully, the Saintess spoke first. Her golden hair caught the sunlight streaming through the window as she smiled brightly.
“U-um… how about we start by introducing ourselves?” she said, as if trying to lift the mood. “I’ll go first! I’m Lysandra Lux Sunviel, a saintess from the holy kingdom, Solareth.”
She then turned to the young man beside her, waving one hand vaguely in his direction.
“And this is Lorven—he’s my guardian… but we’ve known each other since we were little, so I think of him as a friend too! Come on, Lorven, say hi!”
Lorven gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. Lysandra grinned and turned to the next student, eager for them to introduce themselves.
The muscular guy went next. He straightened in his seat, puffing his chest out slightly.
“I’m Garrick Ironhand,” he said, his voice brimming with pride. “My family is well known across the Western Territories for producing some of the finest warriors in Ascalon’s history. As for me, I won’t back down from a good fight.”
From across the room, the Elf leaned back in his chair, one leg casually crossed over the other, and let out a soft, mocking laugh.
“Of course. Someone like you would only think about fighting. Tell me… is your entire family without grace, or were you the unfortunate exception?”
Garrick’s eyes blazed, but he managed to hold back his full temper, gritting his teeth as he spat out,
“If you think you’re so perfect, why not introduce yourself instead of just admiring your reflection in the windows like some self-absorbed brat?”
The Elf flicked a strand of his hair back over his shoulder, straightening his posture as he regarded Garrick with a cool, calculating gaze.
“Me? A self-absorbed brat? Hardly. It’s simply difficult to ignore such a… crude display of character. I come from a prestigious lineage of High Elves after all.” he said with a voice like silk. But since I’m feeling generous today, I suppose I could bestow upon you the honor of learning my name.”
He leaned back again, one hand draped over the chair, and in a haughty, almost regal tone, declared,
“My name is Elyndor Starwind. Consider it a privilege to hear it spoken aloud—you aren’t even worthy of knowing it.”
An awkward silence settled over the room. Garrick opened his mouth, then shut it again, unsure if he should respond. Elyndor, meanwhile, tilted his chin skyward, completely absorbed in his own sense of grandeur.
I couldn’t help but cringe a little at his over-the-top introduction—it was almost painful to listen to.
Sensing the tension, Lysandra quickly clasped her hands together, forcing a gentle smile as she tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.
“Ah… th-that’s good to know,” she said lightly. “Why don’t we hear from the next person?”
The attention shifted to the next student—a young woman with her hair tied back in a ponytail. She straightened slightly and cleared her throat.
“My name’s Althena Aurelith,” she said calmly. “I’m the third princess of the Imperial Family, but you can just call me Althena—no need for formalities. We’re all students here, after all.”
“Ohhh! Third princess? That’s amazing!” Lysandra exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “Does that mean you have older siblings?”
Althena nodded. “Yes, that’s correct. In fact, my elder brother—the crown prince—is currently enrolled here at the Academy as well.”
“I see! I wish I had siblings too…” Lysandra said longingly. “You two must have a good relationship, right?”
There was a subtle shift in the Althena expression. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she glanced briefly away. “We… get along well enough. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Lysandra tilted her head, curiosity written all over her face, clearly wanting to ask more. Before she could, Lorven—standing behind her—suddenly pinched her side.
“Eep! W-what was that for, Lorven?!” Lysandra yelped.
“Saintess, some things are better left private,” Lorven said, then offered a small, apologetic bow to the princess.
Lysandra pouted, still flushed from the pinch, but she quickly recovered, turning back to Althena with a sheepish grin.
“S-sorry… I get curious sometimes. I can’t really help it.”
It was now Lyra’s turn. She didn’t bother moving from her seat, her expression as emotionless as ever.
“I’m Lyra Evermoon… and my father’s the Duke of Nordmarch.”
Althena tilted her head slightly. “I’ve heard a lot about your father’s deeds. Quite impressive, from what my family has told me.”
“From what I understand, the Nordmarch Duchy is mainly responsible for defending the northern borders against invaders. If you ever see your father, please do tell him that we’re grateful for his service to the Empire.”
Lyra nodded once, then fell silent, revealing nothing else.
Finally, all eyes turned toward me, as it was my turn. Frankly, I didn’t have much to say. Unlike everyone else, I didn’t come from a notable family or have any prestigious titles.
“Uhh… I’m Caelith,” I said, keeping it brief. “Nice to meet you all.”
A few of them blinked at me, clearly waiting for more, but unfortunately that was all I got.
“Don’t you have anything else to say?” Garrick asked, raising an eyebrow. “You are in the Elite Class, aren’t you?”
“Sorry,” I muttered, giving an awkward shrug. “I don’t have much of a background… it’s just me and my older sister.”
That was only half the truth—I was leaving out the fact that one of the strongest people in the Empire, the ‘White Phantom’ was my master. But there was no reason to reveal that.
Besides, with backgrounds like princess or saintess, just having a fearsome teacher didn’t seem all that impressive.
“So you’re a commoner, huh…” Garrick said, his tone slow and deliberate as he sized me up. “Hey, how about we have a fight right now?”
“What?”
“Come on. The fact that you’re not from any privileged house and still got into this class? That’s got to mean you’re strong, right?”
Somehow, I wasn’t all that surprised when the first thing to pop into this musclehead’s mind was a fight. Unfortunately for Garrick, I saw no reason to play along. I’ll admit, it’s flattering that he thinks I’m strong—but I had no intention of fighting the very first day.
I shrugged. “Not interested. Besides, I think you might be overestimating me.”
“Tsk. I was actually looking forward to a good fight,” Garrick said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. “But since you declined, I won’t push it.”
“Well, I don’t think your background really matters that much,” Althena stepped in, crossing her arms. “Making it into this class already proves you have skill—and perhaps even more than usual. I hope we can get along from here on out.”
The Saintess raised her arms high, a bright smile lighting up her face. “Yeah! Let’s all get along well from now on!”
“Uh… yeah sure that works with me.” I replied
“Since we’re all done with introductions, Lorven and I are going to explore the rest of the Academy now,” the Saintess said, turning toward him with a grin. “It was really nice meeting all of you—see you around!”
“Come on let’s go Lorven! There are many things I want to see!”
She grabbed his arm and practically dragged him out of the room. From the corner of my eye, I noticed him giving a tired and resigned glance.
Elyndor was the next to leave. He didn’t say a word, but honestly, that was exactly what I expected from him.
“Hm. I guess I’ll check out the training facilities the Academy has to offer,” Garrick said, making his way toward the exit. “See you guys in class.”
Althena left shortly after, leaving only Lyra and me in the room. I hadn’t planned to linger any longer myself, wanting to explore the Academy grounds as well, stretching my arms and making my way toward the door.
“Wait.”
Just as I was about to step out, the voice stopped me in my tracks. Lyra was now looking at me, her expression as unreadable as ever, but I could tell from her eyes that she wanted to say something.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
After a moment, she blinked and muttered, almost to herself, “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”
“???”
…
I stepped onto the campus, surveying the grounds; it was a sight worth taking in. Humanoid constructs roamed around, moving with uncanny precision. Some of them swept the stone pathways, leaving faint trails of dust, while others carried supplies from one building to another.
There were also various stores and restaurants scattered around, with students hanging out with their friends.
In the training yards, some of the upperclassmen were sparring with each other, mana crackling as spells collided in the air, illuminating the space with bursts of color.
I didn’t see Kaelon anywhere, so I continued to roam the campus by myself, wandering without any particular direction, taking in everything around me.
Strangely enough, at this moment, my mind wandered back to Silvia. For some reason, I found myself wondering how she was doing right now.
Lost in my own thoughts, I wandered down a secluded alleyway. I was about to walk past it when I suddenly heard multiple voices, accompanied by the sharp sounds of kicking and punching.
“Look at this filthy commoner squirming on the ground. Absolutely pathetic.”
THWACK
Another bone-jarring smack echoed off the alley walls. Peering into the alley, I saw a group of four students surrounding a boy on the ground, curled up and clutching his stomach.
“Hey, don’t tell me you’re already passing out from that,” one of them sneered, delivering another sharp kick to his side.
“I almost feel bad for your parents, sending such a worthless son to the Academy,” he added, his voice dripping with scorn.
He curled tighter, clutching his stomach, groaning with every shallow breath. I watched for a few more seconds before turning to leave.
The right thing would be to step in and help him—but the logical thing was to mind my own business. As we were told back at the opening ceremony, the strong get to decide everything, while the weak are devoured.
Still, I couldn’t leave it like this. But I had no intention of playing the hero either. In the end, I settled on a middle ground—finding a faculty member.
‘Let find someone who’s actually paid to deal with this.’
I felt sorry for the kid, but he’d have to get kicked a few more times before help could arrive.
But it seemed like fate had a different plan, as the scrawny boy met my gaze just before I turned to leave.
The other four followed his line of sight, their expressions flicking toward me with a mixture of surprise and annoyance.
“Where do you think you’re looking?”
‘Hah… so much for minding my own business.’
