Introductions (Part 1)
Nobody objected. At least nobody was stupid enough to.
The hall remained silent, students exchanging glances but keeping their mouths shut. Adrian's smile widened, taking the silence as agreement.
"Great! Then let's start with Combat Class A-1. Who is obviously me. If you don't know me, I am
Adrian Vale, the heir of the Vale Guild, and my affinity is a secret."
He adjusted his specs as he spoke.
There was thunderous applause as he finished.
I watched the performance, with my heart practically jumping out of my chest. What should I do? How could I stop this? Should I yell and stop it somehow? No, that would be bad and get unwanted attention.
My mind raced through possibilities. If I made a scene, I'd become the center of attention. But if I just stood here and let this play out, who knows what kind of butterfly effect it would create?
The system said "major deviation." That couldn't be good.
Adrian's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.
"Next up, Combat Class A-2!"
From their group another boy stepped forward, this one was taller with neat auburn hair. He introduced himself. "Lucian Mort, heir to the Mort Guild."
He gave a slight bow, more refined than Adrian's showboating. So the applause that followed was larger than Adrian's, it was pretty self-evident he was more liked.
Although Adrian didn't seem to mind as he was smiling like before.
"Next up, Combat Class A-3!"
The hall went silent.
Everyone's eyes turned toward Adrian's group, waiting for the next person to step forward.
But something was off.
The members of Adrian's group were also looking around, scanning the crowd.
Nobody stepped forward.
The silence stretched, becoming awkward.
Just then, Ethan, who still hadn't left, spoke.
"Aren't you going?"
I massaged my temples. There wasn't any choice, was there?
***
(Ethan’s pov)
“Aren’t you going?”
I said to Aria as she was just stood there. She gave me a sharp look, then quietly slipped away from
the crowd.
The hall erupted in whispers the movement she moved. Hundreds of eyes locked onto her, tracing her every move as she step toward Adrian’s group.
But she walked like none of it mattered. Her face remained perfectly blank, her gait measured and deliberate.
She was stunning, and the icy indifference radiating from her only made it worse. Like watching
something beautiful behind glass, untouchable, and all the more captivating for it.
But what was interesting were the looks the Adrian group gave her. They were practically glaring, except for Adrian, who wore his usual smile, and Lucian, who appeared indifferent.
A smile cracked across my face. I especially enjoyed the ugly expression on Belle's face. Pure disgust, practically rotting with it.
I could practically see what had gone down. Aria, being the Ice Princess she is, hadn't bothered with their little networking circle. As a result, these elite heirs realized that none of them had placed third.
As time went on and she didn't come to introduce herself, they'd set up this whole spectacle.
It was totally worth investing time in the Ice Princess, even if not much came of it. At least we weren't strangers anymore.
I quietly slipped away from the crowd as Aria introduced herself.
"I'm Aria Fenrir, daughter of the Fenrir Guild, Combat Class A-3. My affinity is ice."
Now, where is that rat?
My eyes gleamed.
***
(Aria POV)
"I'm Aria Fenrir, daughter of the Fenrir Guild, Combat Class A-3. My affinity is ice."
After thinking it through, I just realized there was no point in trying to salvage the broken ship. The episode had steered off way too far to get back to the main route again. The only way forward was to follow the natural course and see it through.
The applause that followed my introduction wasn't thunderous like Adrian's or Lucian's, but more confused. They'd likely never heard of Aria or even the Fenrir Guild.
Which made sense. In the original novel, Aria mostly avoids spotlight until the first major event.
"Thank you, Miss Fenrir. Ice affinity, how interesting." Adrian looked sharply to the side as he said that.
I know who that look was directed to, but I pretended to not notice.
Just then another woman from the group stepped forward. The girl with crimson hair and sharp eyes, Belle, I recognized her instantly.
She took the microphone from Adrian and spoke. "I'm Belle Ignis. The daughter of the Ignis Guild. And rank of Combat Class A-4." She took a deep breath, then glared at me and spoke. "And I challenge Aria Fenrir for her rank.”
The hall exploded in whispers.
“Did she just challenged on the first day?”
“This is insane”
“Who is Aria Fenrir, anyway?”
I stood there, processing what just happened. Sure, Belle and Aria had a rivalry in the novel, but wasn't she supposed to challenge her in the classroom when they went for practice? Why is everything getting messed up?
Just then Adrian, who still had that annoying smile on his face, spoke. "Belle, I think we have a bit of something going on here. Why start fighting?"
Belle turned to glare at Adrian. "Don't act like we're close. And step aside, or before her I'll punch you first.”
"How scary. But causing a scene on the first day reflects poorly on the Ignis Guild, doesn't it?"
Hearing that, Belle flinched.
Adrian's smile widened, noticing her reaction. "I'm sure your father wouldn't appreciate hearing about this. Especially when there are proper channels for rank challenges."
Belle's grip on the microphone tightened. The fire in her eyes dimmed slightly, replaced by something else. Frustration? Fear?
Seeing her like this, I realized something. There's a lot going on that I'm not aware of. In the novel,
Belle challenged Aria because she was hot-headed, and I wrote it like that without proper reason.
Adrian turned to address the crowd, like a natural leader. "As Miss Ignis mentioned, rank challenges are permitted. However, they must be conducted through proper academy procedures. Perhaps we should continue with introductions for now?"
The crowd murmured in agreement, though disappointment was evident on many faces. They'd wanted to see a fight.
Belle shot one more venomous glare at me before stepping back.
I maintained my blank expression, but internally I was screaming.
What the hell is going on?
Then another woman from the side stepped forward.
If one were to describe her in one word, it would be flashy.
Platinum blonde hair cascaded down her back in waves. She wore an excessive amount of jewelry,
silver necklaces layered at her throat, multiple bracelets on both wrists, rings on nearly every finger, dangling earrings, a delicate nose chain connecting a stud to an ear cuff, and even a nose ring
adorned with tiny silver beads.
If one were to think of rich elite kids, they would imagine something like her. No, even for that standard, she was a bit too excessive.
She took the microphone from Belle with an elegant gesture.
Then, while giving me a sharp look, she said her name. "Rui Frost, daughter of the Frost Guild. Combat Class A-5."
Nobody applauded as everybody thought of the implications.
Frost. She was from the Frost Guild!
The Frost Guild's specialty was obvious from their name, Ice manipulation. They were practically gods of Ice power, wielding it better than anyone else in the world. No one had ever come close to matching their mastery over Ice.
But just now, the A-3 girl had declared in front of everyone that she had ice affinity. And she had a better ranking than the Frost Guild women.
Another clash?! Everyone held their breath.
"I like your hair, but it would have been better if it was long." Rui ran her hand through her own platinum blonde waves as she said it, the gesture making the comparison crystal clear.
My face twitched. Is that meant to be a insult?
And the last one was…
"Hello! My name is Felix Vivus, heir to Vivus Guild, with rank of A-6." He gave an awkward laugh. "I hope we can all get along and support each other this year!"
Felix Vivus, the guy with the only legendary class, turned toward me and extended his hand with a sweet smile. "Let's get along, Aria."
