note: the academy's location is unknown but one thing is that its not within the Aranthus empire but its somewhere within the human domain. Also I changed the position of the character Arthur from the leader of the imperial knights to the vice leader.
As soon as Leo's condition got better, we headed towards the board where a big crowd of students were gathered.
"I'm in class 1-G 4, I got 192 rank"
"I'm in the same class, fufu I'm ranked 178"
As we walked towards the board, the excitement in the air was palpable. There was a sea of students, all craning their necks to see the results. As we drew closer, the size of the board became apparent. It was huge, easily spanning several meters in width and height.
The board was divided into different sections, each corresponding to a different class. We quickly realized that there were 10 classes in total, with each class containing about 30 students. It was a lot of names to go through, and it looked like it would take a while.
Katherine suddenly spoke up. "Got it," she exclaimed, pointing at the board. "Katherine Whitmore, academic rank: 7, class 1-G9!"
"Oh my God," I breathed, "I'm actually in the same class as you. And I got ranked 3rd!"
I couldn't hide my excitement when I found that I will be in the same class as Katherine.
I mean there are 10 first year classes in total, so the odds were slim. But sooner my excitement turned into confusion.
" Wait, Artorious you are in the same class too?!" I exclaimed
"and so I am?" Aric said.
"We all are in the same class" Leo confirmed.
Then silence between us prevailed thinking this that maybe there's a mistake with the list.
"I think this is my aunt's doing". It was Katherine who spoke up.
That conclusion actually made sense, we were close with each other since we were kids and we used to visit Katherine at her mansion where we occasionally met her, we also knew that she was a teacher at Lumina.
"That explains it," Artorious said with a chuckle, "Well, I guess we owe your aunt a big thank you."
"Well, let's put that aside for now," said Artorious, trying to diffuse the tension. "Hey Aric, I heard you got second place, but guess what? I got first."
Aric's face twisted in anger and veins appeared on his forehead. "What did you say?"
'oh, here they go again'
"I said I got first place, man," Artorious replied with a smirk.
Aric's fists clenched and his breathing became heavy. "You little...you want me to kill you?" he threatened.
"Calm down, Aric," Leo said, putting his hand on his shoulder. "There's no need for violence. Artorious is just stating a fact."
But the indifferent expression on Leo's face uttering those words were more like adding gasoline to the fire.
Aric shot Leo a look of anger before turning back to Artorious. "Don't get too cocky. It won't be long until I leave you in the dust,"
As they were fighting between each other as usual, something else caught my attention.
"look, what's that thing called special classes?" I said as I was checking at the board.
"Ah, that?. Its a list of classes assigned to certain students based on their capabilities and professions" Katherine responded.
Yeah, it makes sense adding special subject that aren't for all student because at the end not all fighters need to learn magic and same for goes for mages, knowing how to wield a sword isn't a necessity for them.
"Here look, why is the edges that we were assigned to so small"
There were 8 students in total were in the list of that class and only three besides us five. edges were abilities that can't be explained each of us awakened them when we were little and we weren't all be able to understand their extents until we came to Lumina and ran some tests.
"it's a very exclusive class." Katherine added "Awakening an edge is an extremely rare event and the few people who did are numbered."
"Oh" I nodded in understanding.
As I kept looking at the class list, I also noticed that some names were familiar.
Name : Rachel Montrose
Academic Rank: 6
Weapon: bow
Rank : F+
Strength : F+
Agility : F +
Stamina : F
Intelligence : F+
Mana capacity : F
Edge: [{E} Invisibility] (potential S+)
She was the princess of the Aurelian Empire, a powerful nation within the human dominion. I had met her a couple of times at social gatherings, and although she was undoubtedly a stunning beauty, her demeanor was cold, making her difficult to approach. Perhaps this was due to the political conflicts that plagued her family, causing her to be guarded around strangers.
"Augh, that moron is also attending the academy" Aric exclaimed.
"Augh".
"Augh".
"Augh".
"Augh".
a grunt came out of each us.
Name : Henry Romanov
Academic Rank: 3
Weapon: Gladius
Rank : F+
Strength : E-
Agility : E-
Stamina : E-
Intelligence : F+
Mana capacity : F
Edge: [{E} Shadow Step] (potential SS)
Henry Romanov, the first prince of the Serene Imperium. In a way, he was also hard to approach, not because cold like Rachel but because he's a moron. He was arrogant and he always looked down on everyone and acted rudely unless its me of course since insulting the imperial princess will cause a ruckus.
Then the last name in that list was someone I didn't know
Name : Damian
Academic Rank: 281
Weapon: none (mage)
Rank : G-
Strength : G-
Agility : G
Stamina : G-
Intelligence : E+
Mana capacity : H+
Edge: [{F} Mana Forging] (potential A)
"Pft, haha. what's with him, his stats are so low. not to mention that his mana capacity is H rank, Pft that's a first" Aric said couldn't hold back his laughter.
Usually one of us would scold Aric for showing Henry like behavior , but all of us were at a dizzy since someone with such low stats made it into Lumina.
*************************************************
"This is wasn't what I expected" I sighed
I was currently attending a class focused on elemental magic, but unlike most of my classes, I was alone in this one. Artorious and Aric, however, were attending an aura control class. This particular course was designed for individuals who have awakened the ability to sense and manipulate the subtle energy that surrounds all living beings, known as aura. Unfortunately, since I had not yet awakened this ability, I was excluded from the aura control class.
Katherine was an exceptionally advanced magic user, possessing a rare natural talent that allowed her to harness the power of two elemental attributes: ice and wind. This was an impressive feat, given that most people only awaken to one elemental attribute. She had already mastered the basic spells associated with these elements, as had Leo, who had a particular talent for manipulating ice and using daggers in combination with his magic. Because of their advanced skills, Katherine and Leo didn't need to attend the Elemental Magic class. Instead, they were currently enrolled in Mana Control and Manipulation, where they were learning how to better harness and direct their magical energies for maximum effect during combat.
Although I also wielded a sword in combat, I was unable to awaken aura like Leo. However, I didn't let this discourage me, since I knew that Aric and Artorious were certainly abnormal either.
'Yes, being able to use aura at the age 16 isn't normal for sure'
Instead, I relied on my elemental magic skills and combined them with my swordsmanship to enhance my fighting proficiency, until such time as I would be able to harness aura. Like Katherine, I was able to awaken two elemental attributes: Light and Fire. Although Light was an extremely rare attribute, I still needed to attend the Elemental Magic class since I had yet to fully master harnessing these elements properly.
So I was ended up being alone in this class, I recognized that Rachel was too in this class who also held the light element that specialized for Healing, Defense and Detection spells. But she also hard to approach because of her cold demeanor.
' well, I would say the same for me'
Since I was also a princess, most students are intimidated by my status and avoid me.. The only ones who approach me are nobles looking to gain favor, and I huss them away. Since today's class was only theoretical, it was extra boring and I couldn't help but daze off. And suddenly the professor slammed on the table.
'fuck I will get scolded for dazing off'
"Rank 281, Damian. If you don't start paying attention, you'll fall behind in this class and risk failing. Do you want that?"" the professor said with a high voice.
As I sighted in relief when I realized that the teacher's scolding wasn't directed at me, and then I looked back to look at the poor student. Perhaps it was the fact that he seemed to be the only one in the class who shared my disinterest in the lecture that made me feel sympathy towards him.
'my condolence soldier'
He had black hair that fell messily over his forehead and warm brown eyes that looked slightly glazed over. He seemed to be slouching in his seat, as if he couldn't be bothered to sit up properly which triggered the professor even more.
'wait, Damian, Damian'
'Isn't he that guy with us in the edges class'
"Ah, my bad" Damian responded.
"If you find this class so boring, feel free to leave" the professor added
" Okay " Damian said, grabbing his bag and leaving the class abruptly.
As he left the room, the professor and other students stared after him in surprise. The professor's mouth hung open in shock as they watched Damian's retreating figure, while the other students whispered amongst themselves, their eyes wide with astonishment. And in that moment, my sympathy for Damian turned into a newfound respect.
***********************************************************
Katherine was heading towards the cafeteria when she spotted her aunt Serena Whitmore conversing with a student. After Katherine's parents passed away when she was young, Serena took on the responsibility of raising both Katherine and her brother. Despite being next in line for the throne, Serena gave up her right to succession to pursue a career as a teacher at Lumina. She was not only a respected educator but also an accomplished S+ ranked magician with numerous accomplishments as an adventurer, including playing a critical role in rescuing Earthlings.
'I will go greet her on my way'
As Katherine approached, she noticed that her aunt appeared to be scolding the student. She paused to assess the situation, hearing Serena's stern tone and the student's feeble protest. He had black hair that was styled in a messy yet deliberate manner, and his brown eyes were fixed in a bored expression
Serena gripped the boy's shoulder, causing him to wince in pain.
"Are you stupid? Why are you causing a scene on day one?" Serena demanded, her voice tinged with anger.
" He gave me permission to leave " the student calmly protested.
Serena tightened her grip on the boy's shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain.
" Ow, stop. My shoulder" The boy said with his face in pain.
"Okay, listen up, you brat. Both you and I know what professor Connor meant when he scolded you, and we both know you acted dumb on purpose to run away. I told them not to punish you this time, and that I will make sure that you behave from now on. Understood?" Serena spoke with an agitated smile.
"OKAY, OKAY I GET IT, LET GO PLEASE" the boy said screaming at this point.
'she seems busy, I will greet her later'
Katherine decided to greet her aunt later and continued towards the cafeteria, disturbed by the tense exchange between Serena and the student.
***********************************************************
We were all seated in the cafeteria, enjoying our lunch break. Although the quality of the dishes wasn't on par with the meals served in the palace, they still tasted good.
"Pft, what did he tell him? He can leave, so he just left?" Aric burst out laughing.
"I swear, that's what happened. The teacher was left speechless. It was the mastery level of not giving a fuck," I exclaimed, joining in on the laughter.
"I don't think they're going to punish him though," I added, still chuckling.
"Wow, on the first day? How does he look like?" Artorious asked, intrigued.
"I don't know, all I remember is his bored expression and that he was about 5.7 foot tall" I responded.
Then, out of the blue, Katherine spoke up. "Does he have brown eyes and black hair?"
We all turned to look at Katherine, surprised by her question. "Do you know him, Katherine?" I asked.
"I saw Aunt Serena scolding him earlier in the hall," Katherine replied matter-of-factly.
"Wow, your aunt surely has it tough" Aric said still laughing.
Then Leo who wasn't interested in our conversation let out a sudden grunt, then I looked where he was looking and I saw a social calamity approaching.
" Fuck, why is that moron coming here" I said.
The moron I was referring to was none other than Henry Romanov, the spoiled prince of the Serene Imperium. Every time we came into contact with him, he acted rudely and tried to pick a fight with us.
"Quickly, Katherine, cast a barrier," Leo said urgently, his hand slamming the table.
As Henry Romanov approached our table with his lackeys, I couldn't help but notice his appearance. He was tall and well-built, with broad shoulders and a chiseled jawline. His perfectly styled red hair was slicked back, and his piercing blue eyes gleamed with a hint of malice.
When I realized that I was subconsciously admiring his appearance, my skin began to crawl. As he made his way over to our table, his lips curled into a sneer. "Well, well, well, if it isn't some old friends," he spat, looking down at us with contempt.
'Friends, what the fuck is he talking about?'
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "What do you want, Henry?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
As the only royalty here beside him, I was the only one who can respond to him without fearing the consequences.
He leaned in closer, his breath heavy with the scent of expensive cologne. "No need to be so defensive, I just wanted to say hello," he said, his eyes glittering with malice. "And yeah I also wanted to congratulate Artorious for getting rank 1"
"Thank you, Henry," Artorious replied graciously.
"I also came to suggest a duel with you," Henry continued.
"I'm honored by your suggestion, but I'm quite tired now. Perhaps we can arrange it for tomorrow?" Artorious said calmly.
But a smirk formed on Henry's lips. "What, are you scared?" he taunted.
"Why would he be scared? He's currently rank 1 while you're rank 3," I interjected.
"Why should I blindly believe the ranks, I mean they could be rigged when you think about the position of his father as the leader of the Order of the Silver Blade. So I'm here to test his abilities my self" Henry replied.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I retorted, my anger simmering.
"Relax, I'm just saying that the rank 1 in Lumina should act like it and not shy away from a challenge," Henry said, still grinning.
"Do you have any pro.."
"I will do it " Cutting me off, Artorious said.
Without missing a beat, he added, "Let's have a duel."