The Ceremonial day
I left the tavern with a smile.
My plan worked.
I even apologized for the mess before leaving.
'Maybe I really am cut out for acting.'
Thinking back to what I said and did inside, embarrassment washed over me all at once.
Still, I succeeded.
And that was what mattered.
'But I might have overdone it.'
Remembering the expression Rin wore made my chest feel a little heavy.
I could not deny it.
She was the first novel character I truly met in this world.
It was exciting.
Very exciting.
And yet, what I did felt like pouring oil onto an already burning resentment she had toward the world.
'She might hate me or even feel disgusted.'
But I could not back out now.
As someone who had already chosen a terrible path, this was the least I could do.
Shaking off those lingering thoughts, I began thinking about what to do next.
I had five days before the ceremonial day.
The Royal Academy was less than a day's distance from here.
Which meant I still had four full days left.
And I already knew what I needed to do.
'I will train.'
My body was terrible.
If I did not at least raise it to an average level, I would die from exhaustion before anything else killed me.
Just running a little earlier had already pushed me to my limit.
That alone was enough to tell me how fragile this body really was.
'I also need to learn basic magic.'
After deciding that, I returned to my inn.
The first thing I did after entering my room was—
Sleep.
…
27th December, Imperial Year 1345.
The Ceremonial Day.
The road in front of the academy was completely blocked by students and parents.
Carriages lined up endlessly.
Anyone could tell at a glance that today was the ceremonial day of the Royal Academy.
The Royal Academy of Valenor
It had stood for over three hundred years.
Through wars, calamities, and countless eras, it had never fallen.
It was the most prestigious academy on the continent, a place where talents from all over the world gathered just for a chance to enroll.
Kings sent their heirs.
Nobles sent their pride.
Commoners sent their hopes.
Graduating from this academy meant becoming an elite of society.
And among those elites, the exceptional ones became heroes.
Protectors of humanity. Slayers of monsters and demons.
A life of prestige was guaranteed.
I was heading toward the academy in a carriage.
But my body felt so exhausted that even sitting upright was difficult.
The reason was simple.
For the past four days, I had pushed my body through intense training.
I tried to follow a certain person's training routine.
One hundred push-ups.
One hundred sit-ups.
One hundred squats.
And a ten-kilometer run.
Every day.
'I did finish it—but in four days.'
My body screamed at me every night.
I also studied magic during that time.
I finished reading all the basic magic books I bought.
And I learned how to summon a meteor.
Just kidding.
I did not actually try to cast magic yet.
The reason was obvious.
'I cannot do it the normal way.'
If I wanted to surpass those who had trained since childhood, those prodigies born with talent and guidance, then normal methods would never be enough.
Which was why I needed a specific item.
And that item had a condition.
The user must not have formed a mana circle even after the age of fifteen.
I easily passed that requirement.
Honestly, I was worried that the original owner of this body might have already formed one.
But luckily, that was not the case.
Which raised the same question again.
How did the original owner of this body pass the academy's physical test?
Did he use ambient mana?
Using magic without a circle was possible, but extremely rare and difficult.
One could use the mana in the air or borrow mana from external sources.
But then—
Why did he not form a circle yet?
He was from a noble family.
And with this pathetic body, he could not possibly be a warrior.
Lost in those thoughts, I finally reached my destination.
After getting off the carriage, I had to walk for nearly thirty to forty minutes just to reach the academy gates.
'Whoa...'
I could not help but feel astonished when I finally stood in front of them.
The massive gate towered above me, surrounded by thick, reinforced walls that stretched endlessly to both sides.
But I knew this was only the beginning.
The inside was far more overwhelming.
With that thought, I began searching for the correct entrance.
Other than students, instructors, and specially permitted individuals, no one was allowed to even peek inside the academy.
Some might call that excessive security.
But it was necessary.
Anyone who truly understood the terror of demons would never complain about it.
Besides—
They would never make it past the gate anyway.
'In the future...'
While thinking about the events that would unfold later, I finally found the verification lines for entry.
The lines used to check invitation letters.
The passes required to go through the gate.
'What the hell is that...??!'
What I saw could barely be called a line.
It looked more like a pilgrimage.
The line stretched so far that it was hard to see where it ended.
Just by looking at it, I could tell there were at least one hundred and fifty to two hundred students in each line.
At this rate, it would take at least two to three hours to get through.
'Shit. I should have come early in the morning.'
Cursing internally, I reluctantly walked toward the line with the fewest people.
After waiting for a short while, I noticed an academy officer checking invitation letters and occasionally directing students into different lines.
'It seems each department has a separate line.'
Before I realized it, the officer was already standing in front of me.
He wore a stiff expression. The type of person who followed rules to the letter.
"Letter."
His voice was hoarse and blunt.
I had already taken out my invitation letter from my spatial bag, so I handed it to him without delay.
The moment he looked at it, his eyes widened.
"T... This..."
He began to stutter.
His complexion changed completely.
He straightened his posture, then bowed slightly.
"Honorable student, why are you standing in this line?"
He was using formal speech now.
"If you allow me the honor, I will guide you to your designated line."
'Huh...?'
I froze.
My mind went blank from the sudden shift in attitude.
The strict officer from moments ago was now bowing to me.
How was I supposed to react normally to that?
The students around me were equally stunned.
I could hear whispers spreading instantly.
"Who is he?"
"Did you see that officer bow?"
After calming myself a little, I nodded.
"Yes."
The officer gestured for me to follow him, and we began walking.
After some time, we arrived in front of a lobby, separated from the main hall.
"This is your destination."
"It was an honor to serve you."
He even introduced himself by name before leaving.
Still unable to understand what had just happened, I decided to stop thinking about it.
'Whatever it is, at least I do not have to wait.'
When I entered the lobby, the first thing that caught my eye was the interior.
Intricate designs.
Gold-plated walls.
Polished floors that reflected light like mirrors.
For a moment, I genuinely questioned whether I had come to the right place.
'This looks more like a five-star hotel than an academy lobby.'
It was clearly far more luxurious than the other lobbies.
There were only three people standing in line.
So I started walking toward it.
Then I stopped abruptly.
The people standing there—
Two of them were main characters from 'The Last Moment'.
I knew I would meet them eventually.
I just did not expect it to happen this soon.
The first person in line was Lythiel Sylvaris.
The elf princess of the Kingdom of Lothlorien.
And the last person—
Leo.
Seeing him stirred emotions inside me that I could not describe.
Because he was both my most favorite character.
And the one I hated the most.
Letting those emotions aside, I lined up beside them.
Both of them glanced at me briefly.
Then, without much interest, they turned their heads away.
It was the kind of look you would give to a passerby.
I felt slightly irritated by it.
But the one who did not do that was Leo.
He turned toward me and spoke first.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Leo."
His tone was casual, friendly even.
I introduced myself normally after that, keeping my expression calm.
Leo nodded once, then continued talking, asking where I was from and whether the journey here was troublesome.
I replied briefly, exchanging simple pleasantries.
After a short while, Leo smiled lightly.
"Well then. See you inside."
With that, he turned away and stepped forward.
Soon, it was my turn.
I walked up to the academy staff member who was checking invitation letters.
He took mine.
After a brief check, he handed me a temporary pass.
It was golden.
Taking the pass, I walked toward the entrance where the other three had already gone.
'It seems our entrance is different from normal students.'
That thought lingered in my mind as I moved forward.
I still did not understand why I was grouped together with them.
They were the top students of this year.
Then, suddenly, a thought struck me.
'It can't be—'
A simple and ridiculous thought.
'Am I one of the top students?'
